Sacramento Kings: Re-drafting the team’s last 4 first-round picks

2018 (No. 2 Overall): Marvin Bagley > Luka Doncic

Now here’s the one I’m really interested in considering. Yes, Marvin Bagley has been a solid addition to the Kings lineup, with the potential to develop into a star over time. And yet, would Sacramento really pass on Luka Doncic again knowing what we know now?

By all appearances, Doncic is already the real deal. Based on what we’ve seen, it may be some time before Bagley begins to even scratch the surface of his potential. With the Kings’ playoff window actually open at this moment, wouldn’t having a scoring threat and game-changer like Doncic on the roster be the preferred route?

You better believe it.

Doncic has been a sensation this season, evidenced by the fact that he finished with the second-most All-Star votes in the Western Conference. Although All-Star voting can be a joke (DeMarcus Cousins, really?), that’s not the case with the Slovenian import, who has spent the entire season dazzling fans and foes alike with his already-elite on-court talents.

This isn’t necessarily a shot at Bagley. I’m very confident that he’ll be worthy of the No. 2 overall pick someday. However, re-drafting Doncic in this situation is more an admission that he’s the superior talent right now — and potentially in the long-run.

Could you imagine a starting lineup of Fox, Doncic, Kuzma, Nemanja Bjelica, and Willie Cauley-Stein? If that’s what the Kings were working with this season, I’m pretty sure they’d be higher in the standings than they currently are.