The Kings entered the 2021-22 NBA season hoping to contend for an ever-elusive playoff spot. But once again, Sacramento finds itself headed for the draft lottery.
With a 26-48 record heading into Saturday's game against the Magic in Orlando, the Kings currently sit sixth in the 2022 NBA Draft lottery, per Tankathon.com. Prior to their win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, Sacramento was fifth in the draft lottery.
The No. 5 slot is where The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor has the Kings selecting Duke Blue Devils freshman wing AJ Griffin in his latest mock draft, which was released Thursday.
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SIGN UP HERE "Kings fans, don’t be too nervous about drafting another Dukie," O'Connor wrote regarding Griffin to the Kings. "It didn’t work with Marvin Bagley III, but Griffin is an entirely different type of player. Griffin is the latest lottery prospect from a stacked college team who didn’t get to fully showcase his scoring skill set in college. But he’s the type of guy who can flourish off the ball, which would be important next to De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. There’s also some untapped on-ball potential that he could bring as a go-to option on the wing."
Griffin has played in all 37 games for Duke this season, including their three NCAA Tournament games and he is averaging 10.3 points on 49.3 percent shooting from the field and 45.4 percent from behind the 3-point line. He's also averaging 3.9 rebounds.
While Griffin is talented, O'Connor notes that the 18-year-old dealt with knee and ankle injuries during his high school career. But the fact that he has played in every game for Duke this season has to be a good sign to teams interested in drafting him in the lottery.
In Duke's Sweet 16 win over Texas Tech at Chase Center in San Francisco on Thursday, Griffin finished with 11 points and seven rebounds in 37 minutes. He went 3-of-9 from the field, but all three field goals were 3-pointers.
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Griffin isn't the most heralded player on Duke's roster -- that's forward Paolo Banchero, who is in the conversation to go No. 1 overall -- but the 6-foot-6, 222-pound wing would give the Kings a versatile option alongside De'Aaron Fox, Davion Mitchell and Domantas Sabonis.
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Kings fans will have another chance to watch Griffin up-close and personal when Duke takes on Arkansas in the Elite Eight at Chase Center on Saturday night.
If everything falls the Kings' way, Griffin could be headed back to Northern California later this year for an introductory press conference at Golden 1 Center.