Georgios Papagiannis

The Kings decision to spend the 13th overall pick in the June draft on Papagiannis, a 7-foot-2, 240-pound center by way of Greece, was a puzzling selection on two fronts. For one, Papagiannis was viewed as a second-round talent by most talent evaluators, making his entry into the lottery one of the biggest surprises of the draft. Secondly, the Kings already spent a lottery pick last year on another center in Willie Cauley-Stein, whose presence will create a roadblock to playing time for Papagiannis. In spite of that, the Kings evidently felt they couldn't pass up on the big man, who is unusually coordinated and mobile for somebody his size. While suiting up for Greek League powerhouse Panathinaikos last season, Papagiannis was effective on a per-minute basis, averaging 6.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per contest. He showed some aptitude as a finisher near the rim and at times displayed a quality mid-range game, suggesting there's some offensive projection to be had here. And after shooting 66.7 percent from the free-throw line last season, Papagiannis should be able to keep himself on the court during crunch time when given the opportunity. His reports on the defensive end are less encouraging, so it's likely that much of his rookie season will be dedicated to showcasing improvement on that front. Most of those opportunities will presumably come in practices or in the D-League, as the 19-year-old is presumably a couple years away from becoming a reliable NBA rotation player.