NBA Draft 2019: 3 Prospects to keep an eye on at NBA Draft Combine
By Chris Kern
Louis King
Louis King is an exciting draft prospect who has a chance to become a very good player at the next level. He is a very talented offensive player who has the size and skill to be a perfect fit as a forward for an NBA team. With many teams opting to go with smaller lineups, he has a chance to find a big role on a team right away.
This past season at Oregon he averaged 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game on 44% shooting including 39% from three-point range. Those numbers don’t stand out in a big way, but he did have some big-time performances that showed off his full potential.
He didn’t have a marquee game that really stood out as his highest scoring game was just 22 points which he did against both UCLA and Washington State. His play down the stretch of the season was a big reason they were able to advance to the Sweet 16 after winning 10 straight games which included a Pac 12 Tournament Championship to even get into the NCAA Tournament.
He has some consistency issues to work on, but all the tools are there for him to become a really good player. The NBA is all about drafting for potential and being able to play positionless basketball and he checks both of those boxes.
He would be a good fit for the Grizzlies if there were any way to bring him in. He would be a good pickup as a backup forward right away with the potential to become a starter in the future. The Grizzlies need more players who have a chance to be great and if they can get King later on in the draft it could be a huge steal.
With Memphis not having any second-round picks and if they keep their first-round pick they won’t have a chance to draft King. He is projected to go either late first or early second-round so it’s very unlikely the Grizzlies will be able to get him. Keep an eye on a team like Portland in the draft as they look to add more wing talent around Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.