The Sacramento Kings are lottery-bound once again and probably destined for a projected top-five draft pick in 2012. Could they find another piece to the puzzle in rebuilding back to the path to success?
HoopsWorld releases their mock, and three of their writers have the Kings taking Harrison Barnes of North Carolina with their first round pick. Indeed, if there's any position where Sacramento needs upgrading, it's the small forward position, where the Kings have just not been very good the past few years and have generally been weak since they traded away Ron Artest. Barnes did struggle from the field as one of the primary scoring options for the Tar Heels, but with the focus of the offense likely to come from Marcus Thornton and DeMarcus Cousins, there will be less pressure for Barnes to provide the bulk of the scoring load.
Sacramento would suddenly have one of the youngest and talented starting lineups that could be ready to make their move next season. Barnes (and maybe Thomas Robinson, who gets picked with the minority mock to the Kings) are possible solutions to holes in the Sacramento lineup.
To talk about the NBA draft with Kings fans, head on over to Sactown Royalty.