Name: Louis King
Height/Weight: 6’8/ 195
Wingspan/ standing reach: 7’0 ¼ / 8’8.5
Hand size: 8 ½
Position: SF
College/ country: Oregon
Tools: Length, shooting
Pros:
- Long wing with room to fill out frame
- Moves well laterally
- Tight handle going right- upside in slashing with NBA space
- Can play both the 3 & 4
- Good spot up shooter from 3 and midrange
- Has shown flashes of jab step 3s
- Good rebounder
- Excels in transition
Cons:
- Needs slight tweaking on shot form- gets too much arc
- Must learn defensive discipline and to defend with feet more than hands
- Loose handle when going left
- Gets blown by on the perimeter often- out of stance a lot of times
- Sometimes needs to let the game come to him- point blank misses at the rim
- Doesn’t have a high vertical
Overall: Louis King is a prototypical modern 3: he can play both wing and forward slots thanks to his excellent frame, a good jumper and his solid athleticism. King missed the first month of the season due to a knee injury, and took awhile to come into form. His production and decision making improved in the final 2 months of the season versus his first 2 months, indicating that the injury set him back in his performance.
The areas that King needs to improve in include ball handling refinement, defensive discipline, and becoming a more consistent decision maker. King has a significantly better handle going right, but struggled consistently attacking with his left hand. His defensive tools suggest a high upside – 7’0 wingspan, athleticism, and lateral quickness – he just needs to defend with his hands less and not gamble on dribble moves and fakes as often as he did as a freshman. King forced a lot of shots early on in the season, and his efficiency fell because of that. He needs to let the game come to him rather than taking forced, often contested, shots. I’m a firm believer in King’s game simply due to the jump he took in the second half of conference play and the NCAA Tournament.While King would have had a great chance to break out as a sophomore at Oregon, he will likely take that jump at the NBA level with more spacing and a higher pace. In Oregon, one of the slowest teams in the country, King was not able to display his skillset due to tempo, spacing, and lack of touches. In the NBA, it is very likely the scenery change helps him thrive.
Fit with the Mavs/ best fit:
King would be a great fit in Dallas simply due to upside and positional need. While King may not add a lot right away beyond a bench piece for 20 minutes, he could be a long term fit next to Luka Doncic as a long athlete and shooter. While it was once believed that there was very little probability of King lasting to the second round, let alone 37, now King is one of the Mavs’ top targets. While the 37th pick may not hold a lot of value to the organization, King could make them happy for a 3rd draft in a row. His spot up shooting and help in transition could make him an immediate rotation player on the wing. If he can develop his ball handling with one of the best dribbling coaches in the NBA in God Shamgod his game will elevate. King can thrive in both a high usage role and a low usage role, making him a unique player given his skillset and physical tools. Playing at an average NBA tempo will greatly benefit King’s production and development.
NBA Comparison: Floor: Marvin Williams ceiling: Richard Jefferson
Projected draft range: 15-37
Louis King has been excellent in conference play this season, which backs the eye test that he finally looks fully recovered from the injury that kept him out for the first month of the season. Against Washington State, with Robert Franks guarding him a majority of the time, King recorded 22 points on 8/11 shooting (4/6 from three), 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. King’s output had more to do with his skill than Franks’ defense- which is not a weakness for Franks.
In the clips, King shows off his offensive tools- shooting and athleticism. In the first three videos, he makes clean catch & shoot shots, including two NBA three pointers. In the last video, he shows how explosive he can be in the open court with a big slam. Due to Oregon’s offensive structure, being one of the slowest teams in the country (ranked 310 in pace), King rarely gets to showcase his skillset in either one-on-one situations or in transition- both areas he thrives in.
As the end of the season and NBA draft approach, look for King to continue climbing. He is a first round talent, but should he be available in the second round, any team with the chance to select him should take him and run.
