Sacramento Kings Select Davion Mitchell With The 9th Pick In The 2021 NBA Draft
Jul 29, 2021, 6:01 PM | Updated: 6:20 pm
(Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
The Baylor guard posted 14.0 points & 5.5 assists per game on 44% 3PT for the national champion Bears
It was highly rumored that the Sacramento Kings were looking at a variety of options as the 2021 NBA Draft approached.
Moses Moody, Franz Wagner and Alperen Şengün were the most mentioned, with Moody and Şengün both looking like real possibilities as the Kings went on the clock with the ninth pick.
And then, a draft day surprise.
Sacramento went against the grain of most mock drafts by selecting Baylor guard Davion Mitchell with the ninth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft on Thursday night, giving the Kings a strong defensive guard to pair with De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton.
Mitchell, 22, posted 14.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game on 51-percent shooting from the field and 44-percent shooting from the three-point line over 30 appearances for the national champion Baylor Bears.
With the selection of Mitchell, general manager Monte McNair adds a three-and-D guard to the fold, with the guard’s 1.9 steals per game proving to be a key-point in the selection.
Mitchell is a two-time member of the Big 12’s All-Defensive team and was the 2020-21 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Bobby Marks of ESPN applauded the move, claiming that the Kings have nailed the draft “for two years in a row” after drafting Rookie of the Year finalist Tyrese Haliburton in 2020.
With the addition of Mitchell to the fold, Sacramento is now even deeper at the guard spot with the likes of De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton and Delon Wright also on the roster. All four of these players are above average defenders, something that is imperative to next season’s plan after the Kings put on one of the worst defensive displays in NBA history (30th in defensive rating, 28th on opponent points per game).
Kings fans will get their first look at the 6’1 guard next week when the 3rd annual California Classic begins on August 3rd.
