Sacramento, which had the eighth pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, selected Chriss out of Washington before sending his draft rights to the Suns. Labissiere came on late in the season with an 11-point, eight-rebound game in the win at Florida and an 18-point, nine-rebound, six-block effort in the regular-season finale vs. LSU.
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We know that the #13 overall pick became Georgios Papagiannis, while #28 became Skal Labaissiere. Based on all of the mock drafts, this draft is a total crapshoot because teams are rating players all over the board. He also fits nicely with their current point guard, Emmanuel Mudiay, as guy that can play off-ball because of his shooting but also act as a secondary ball-handler as Mudiay had a turnover problem in his rookie season a year ago. After seven seasons with Phoenix the Suns dealt Majerle to Cleveland for center John “Hot Rod” Williams in 1995, and while Majerle was never the same player outside of Phoenix, he was still a solid piece for the Cavaliers and then later the Miami Heat. “He’s just young. He has to learn maybe a style of basketball. Obviously back home you don’t get that much conditioning or that kind of work”, Wynyard said Wednesday. “Tough, tough guy to play against”.
Calipari has nurtured both this concept and the players he has led to United Kingdom, so that they’ve formed a familial bond, even though their time in the program is short. The Hornets will make the selection on Sacramento’s behalf. The one area that dipped from his freshman season was his 3-point shooting.
He scored in double figures in four of his first six career games and posted a career-high 26 points in his second career game.
All the while, Labissiere sat with his family and UK Coach John Calipari. “Many other players will say that, but coming from me, I just know what I’ve sacrificed and how hard it is”.
Skal Labissiere was the 28th pick in the NBA Draft and will head to the Kings.
“There are so many concepts you have to learn and so many words that can mean different things in different coverages and personnel”. I can pass the ball. He always the smallest on the floor. “He’s said he’s the best player in this draft, and in his heart, that’s what he truly believes”. “I said, ‘What are you doing?”
Murray has the great potential to be an National Basketball Association star, however is the 19 year old guard “ready” mentally for the big stage. He became the highest drafted Haitian player since Samuel Dalembert, who was selected 26th overall in the 2001 NBA Draft.
This is the start of a big offseason for the Kings, who hired Dave Joerger as coach in May and are looking to have a competitive team in place when they move into a new downtown arena to start next season. He earned a plethora of postseason accolades, including Associated Press Third Team All-America honors as well as All-Southeastern Conference First Team recognition by both the AP and the league’s coaches.
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“If we would’ve advanced a couple of games (in March Madness), he would have broken Steph Curry’s three-point record”, he added.
