The Sacramento Kings are a very interesting team. They have a franchise cornerstone with DeMarcus Cousins, and there is plenty of talent already in the mix with Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton, Isaiah Thomas and (probably) Jason Thompson.
If there is a glaring weakness on the roster, it is unquestionably at the small forward position. The John Salmons experiment in Sacramento was predictably ugly. Evans tried to shift to the position and did not play well most of the time. Former first round pick Donté Greene has shown brief flashes of brilliance, but he appears destined for a bench role at this point.
So what do the Kings do with the No. 5 pick at the 2012 NBA Draft? This latest mock draft from Draft Express has the club going with Harrison Barnes of North Carolina.
Harrison Barnes: SF, 19, 6-8, 223, North Carolina, Soph.
Sacramento's front office and coaching staff are reportedly leaning towards picking the player who can help the most next season. They simply do not have the job security to wait on a prospect like Andre Drummond who could take two to three years to develop. With that in mind, Harrison Barnes is both the safest and most logical pick here considering how weak the Kings are at small forward.
The NBA Draft is scheduled for June 28, 2012.
For more in depth discussion and analysis of the Sacramento Kings, head on over to the best blog anywhere, Sactown Royalty. For more on the NBA Draft in general, make sure that you check out SB Nation's NBA hub.
