The Kings have brought in dozens of prospects for private pre-draft workouts in recent weeks as they prepare for the NBA Draft on July 29. On Wednesday, they received a visit from one of the best shooters in this year’s draft.
Corey Kispert, a 22-year-old forward from Gonzaga, revealed he was in Sacramento on Wednesday afternoon, posting a photo to his Instagram story that appeared to be taken inside the Kings’ facility at Golden 1 Center. The Kings have the No. 9 pick in the draft. Kispert isn’t expected to be drafted quite that high, but he is a projected lottery pick.
Kispert, a 6-foot-7, 224-pound small forward, averaged 18.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.9 steals as a senior at Gonzaga. He shot 52.9% from the field, 44% from 3-point range and 87.8% at the free-throw line.
Kispert helped the Bulldogs go 31-0 before they lost to Baylor in the NCAA championship game. Kispert failed to score in double figures only once last season. He had a career-high 32 points in a 98-75 victory over Virginia, making 11 of 15 from the field and 9 of 13 from 3-point range.
Tankathon.com ranks Kispert as the third-best small forward in the draft behind Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Johnson. The site’s latest mock draft has Kispert going to the Golden State Warriors at No. 14.
NBADraftRoom.com describes Kispert as a 3-point marksman “who might be the best shooter in the draft class.”
The site goes on to say: “He can get spicy hot from downtown and is deadly accurate when given space to shoot. He also has a very quick release and doesn’t need much time or space to get his shot off. Corey has shown huge improvement over the years at Gonzaga, not just with his shooting but with his cutting, driving and overall offensive package. He’s never going to be an elite above the rim player or high end athlete, but he’s got enough burst to hold his own at the NBA level and good strength as well.”
