Michigan Wolverines guard Nik Stauskas has been selected by the Sacramento Kings with the No. 8 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, following an impressive campaign in Ann Arbor that saw the sharpshooter win the Big Ten Player of the Year award.
Sacramento Kings select Nik Stauskas with No. 8 pick in 2014 NBA Draft
The Kings have taken another shooting guard, Michigan’s Nik Stauskas, with the No. 8 pick.
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After playing a more complementary role as a freshman when the Wolverines advanced to the National Championship Game, Stauskas flourished as the go-to guy in his second season, leading Michigan to the Elite Eight. The 6’6 guard averaged 17.5 points on the year, and he’s regarded as one of the top shooters in the draft. He shot 44.2 percent from long range this season after knocking down 44 percent from deep his freshman year.
While Stauskas was a knockdown shooter in both seasons at Michigan, he really developed his floor game this past year. The 20-year-old showed the ability to run pick-and-roll effectively and racked up 3.3 assists per game on the season. He also displayed a knack for getting to the line, attempting 5.7 free throws per game.
The main concerns surrounding Stauskas are on the defensive side of the ball. He didn’t rack up many steals or blocks in college, and he has just average length for a player of his size. Staying in front of players on defense has also been an issue, but Stauskas did post good times in the agility drills at the combine, so there’s certainly potential for improvement.
Stauskas is an interesting choice for the Kings because they already have last year’s Top 10 pick, Ben McLemore, at shooting guard. Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Kings were discussing a trade with the Celtics involving McLemore and the sixth pick, which turned out to be Marcus Smart. If the Kings do keep Stauskas, he figures to come off the bench behind McLemore and Rudy Gay on the wing at first, but anything’s possible.
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