12. Sacramento Kings – Aaron Nesmith, F, Vanderbilt
Selection and commentary: Kambui Bomani
The Sacramento Kings have made various in-season trades to try and alleviate their small forward woes the last couple of seasons. In 2019, they traded for Harrison Barnes with the Dallas Mavericks and then the next season obtained Kent Bazemore from the Atlanta Hawks. Both players have had their traditional career performances on the court, but at their ages respectively, have inevitably maxed out as wing players in the NBA.
With Bazemore expected to be a free agent this summer, wing depth on the perimeter is what Sacramento dearly needs. Aaron Nesmith would not only provide that immediate compensation but could challenge Harrison Barnes for his starting job in the next two years. The Vanderbilt product saw his sophomore season cut short due to injury but possesses a cannon from deep that many scouts believe makes him the best shooter in the draft.
At 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, he was an honorable team defender for the Commodores a year ago showcasing immense effort and IQ from the perimeter (1.4 steals per game) and around the basket (0.9 blocks per game).
With the Kings feeling as if they have their backcourt of the future in De’Aaron Fox and Bogdan Bogdanovic established, their wing play remains to be the only unforeseen element within their perimeter offense. Nesmith can possibly emerge as a hidden gem in that role.