With the 13th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings selected Greek big man Georgios Papagiannis.
NBA Draft 2016: Kings select Georgios Papagiannis at No. 13
The Kings selected the Greek center in a surprise move.
The rights to the pick originally belonged to the Phoenix Suns, but the Kings traded No. 8 pick Marquese Chriss for picks No. 13, No. 28 and a second-round draft pick in the 2020 draft, plus the rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Papagiannis, 18, is a 7’2 big man without much experience on the basketball court, so he was a surprising pick for the Kings at No. 13. The top mock drafts projected him as a late first- or early second-round pick. He began his career in Greek’s top division at just age 14, and later came to the United States to play prep ball in Pennsylvania. He elected not to pursue NCAA eligibility for the 2015-16 college season, though, and played at Greek power Panathinaikos over the past two seasons.
He was buried behind veterans and put up modest per-game numbers. He has performed well in FIFA competitions, though. The Kings don’t have a huge immediate need for big men with DeMarcus Cousins, Willie Cauley-Stein and Kosta Koufos under contract, so Sacramento may seek to stash him in Greece for at least another season or two.
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