NCAA Hoops Preview from the Kings' Perspective

Disclaimer -

So, with the NCAA basketball season beginning, and many of us following both the Kings and college hoops, there are a few collegiate prospects that should be interesting to observe over the coming months. 

I have narrowed it down to a list of ten players, of whom at least one could very well find himself catching lobs from Tyreke in the not so distant future. 

Players of Potential Interest to the Kings:

Solomon Alabi, C, Florida State - The best thing about Alabi is his size (measured 6'11" w/shoes and a 7'5" wingspan).  He isn't as athletic as, say Thabeet (yikes!), but he is a decent shot blocker and runs the floor fairly well.  Still, the Kings' interest in Alabi this season will depend on whether he has improved his offensive fundamentals, particularly passing the ball.

Cole Aldrich, F/C, Kansas - Like Alabi, Aldrich has fantastic size, and projects to be a center in the NBA.  He isn't as fluid offensively of someone like Brook Lopez, but he is skilled.  His shot is questionable from outside the paint and his lack of athleticism can make him turnover prone against quicker post players.  Still, Aldrich is a very gifted rebounder and a better shot-blocker than you'd think.  His stock was off the charts late last season and he'll definitely see interest from the Kings.  Some might say he's a bit of a Hawes-Brockman hybrid.

Al-Farouq Aminu, F, Wake Forest - Aminu is an athletic freak.  I saw him play against BYU last December and he has some major hops.  As such he's been compared in the past to Josh Smith.  That seems somewhat appropriate considering Aminu hasn't defined himself as either a 3 or a 4 (he's 6'8", 210 lbs.) and his offensive game is lacking.  Aminu doesn't yet have the ability to shoot outside of 16-18 feet and he certainly cannot create for himself the way many NBA SF's can currently.  It will be interesting to see how Aminu adjusts this season with Jeff Teague and James Johnson having been drafted and the Demon Deacons looking to him more offensively.  If he's going to draw any kind of interest from Geoff Petrie, he'll have to improve his perimeter game and likely establish himself as a 3.

DeMarcus Cousins, F/C, Kentucky - I'm very interested in seeing Cousins play under Calipari this season.  Cousins may have the skills/talent to become as big a star as Chris Webber someday.  He could also turn out to be the next Jerome James.  Like so many before him, it will depend on his mindset because Cousins is a physical specimen and has already developed some nice offensive tools that Petrie will have to recognize.

Ed Davis, F, North Carolina - Davis compares in some ways to Jason Thompson.  He's a nice athlete and highly skilled around the basket, but he has yet to develop a mid-range game, even like unto Shock.  Davis figures to get a lot of attention this season playing in Chapel Hill with Tyler Hansbrough departed and that will only help his game improve.  If he can develop a shot outside of 12 feet look out because he's going to be a very nice player at the next level.

Derrick Favors, F, Georgia Tech - If you're drafting high come June, any team will have to take a long hard look at Favors.  Even if he plays the 4 like Shock, if he were ever available to the Kings he'd still be a very intriguing prospect.  Favors is uber-athletic with good size (6'10", 215 lbs.+) and phenomenal rebounding skills.  Additionally, he is a tremendous shot-blocker.  He'll play alongside another likely 1st round pick in Gani Lawal this season so it'll be interesting to say the least.  By all reports, Favors appears to lack the character concerns of Cousins and has a solid work ethic.

John Henson, F, North Carolina - Henson just arrived at UNC and he's already drawn comparisons - at least in terms of physicality/athleticism - to Kevin Durant.  That is too say dude is tall (6'10'') and skinny (200 lbs.?) (Keon Clark?).  If Henson can add to his frame and continue to develop what appears to be a nice perimeter game those comparisons might not seem too inappropriate.  He has a nice mid-range jumper but needs to really improve as a rebounder to be projected as a 4 - which would increase his draft stock dramatically and make him a lock for a top-ten selection.

Greg Monroe, F, Georgetown - The Big East conference won't be as deep in terms of talent as in previous seasons as many of its top players moved to the NBA (Thabeet, Flynn, Williams, Clark, Cunningham, Young, Blair, Price) and many highly-touted recruits chose ACC and SEC schools.  All of this should allow Georgtown, and particularly Monroe, to put up some significant offensive numbers.  Monroe wisely chose to stay in school as he needed to improve in being a more consistent post-threat and a more polished ball-handler.  He isn't quite as athletic as some of the aforementioned bigs, but he is a smart player with some terrific offensive skills.  Monroe already has a jumper and has proved capable of grasping the Princeton offense.  The Kings will certainly be interest in Monroe, especially if he were still available in the late-lottery and Sacramento finishes short of the playoffs as most "analysts" have projected.

Patrick Patterson, F, Kentucky - Contrary to popular belief, Patterson has failed to prove himself as a rebounder despite his bulk, and comparisons to Paul Millsap or DeJuan Blair have appeared inaccurate.  However, Patterson is as polished offensively - if not more so - than those two players.  DX compares him favorably to Brandon Bass.  That is more accurate because Patterson has a nice mid-range game like Bass, but needs to improve as a post defender.  Playing with DeMarcus Cousins this season should allow Patterson the opportunity to have better rebound matchups than his previous two years with the Wildcats.  Of course, playing with John Wall as a distributor can't hurt Patterson either.  Like Monroe, Patterson would be a interesting prospect for the Kings to consider in the late-lottery.

Larry Sanders, F, Virginia Commonwealth - Sanders doesn't appear to be a Petrie-esque prospect simply because he is pretty raw offensively.  He compares to Alabi in that he has excellent size, athleticism and shot-blocking skills, and has also drawn comparisons to a young Theo Ratliff because of his defense and rebounding ability.  Still, it will depend on how Sanders develops his offensive fundamentals and fills out his thin frame (see Henson, John) for the Kings to give him substantial consideration in the future. 

Other Players of Note:

Jerome Jordan, C, Tulsa

Gani Lawal, F, Georgia Tech

Andrew Ogilvy, C, Vanderbilt

Ryan Thompson, G, Rider (Shock's little bro)

John Wall, G, Kentucky

International:

Donatas Motiejunas, C, Benetton Treviso

Jan Vesely, F/C, KK Partizan Belgrade

Patterson Photo Link
Davis Photo Link