The Portland Trail Blazers search for an upgrade at the wing may come to a head in this year’s NBA Draft with exciting prospect Louis King.
Next up in our search for an adequate addition to next year’s roster through the NBA Draft, we take a look at University of Oregon’s Louis King. Many Portland Trail Blazers fans likely watched King tear through the PAC-12, now let’s see if he has what it takes to make it in the big league.
Louis King Physical Profile
- Position: Small Forward
- Age: 20
- Height: 6’8”
- Weight: 195 lbs
- Wingspan: 7’0″
2018-19 Season Statistics
- MPG: 30.4
- PTS: 13.5
- REB: 5.5
- AST: 1.3
- STL: 0.9
- FG%: 43.5%
- 3P%: 38.6%
- FT%: 78.5%
Season Synopsis
Alongside teammate Bol Bol, the five-star Louis King committed to the University of Oregon as part of the third highest rated recruiting class in the country. When Bol went down with a season-ending injury just nine games into the year, the mantle fell on King’s shoulders. After a rough non-conference performance for Oregon’s standards, all eyes pointed towards redemption in PAC-12 play…
… Yet it never seemed to come. As the end of their season neared, the Oregon Ducks had gone 6-8 and appeared destined to bow out of postseason play. But then it all finally clicked. King led the Ducks to four dominating wins with an average margin of victory of over 18 points. This positive momentum rolled straight into the PAC-12 tournament as Oregon steamrolled the competition, beating Washington in the title game by 20 points and stealing an NCAA tournament bid.
At the tournament, Oregon yet again dominated fifth seeded Wisconsin and UC Irvine by nearly 20 points each. Their Sweet 16 run came to an end at the hands of eventual national champion Virginia, in a narrow four point loss. During Oregon’s 7 postseason games, King led the team with 16.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Draft Combine Results
- Lane Agility: 10.99 (ninth fastest*)
- Shuttle Run: 3.05 (eighth fastest*)
- Three Quarter Sprint: 3.28 (ninth fastest*)
- Standing Vertical Leap: 29.0
- Max Vertical Leap: 33.0
- Max Bench Press Reps: 0
*among 27 forwards tested at the combine
Strengths
First and foremost, the shooting King brings to the table would be invaluable for a Portland Trail Blazers team without a single role player that can consistently hit open shots. King knocked down 38.6 percent of his three-point shots at a clip of just under five a game. His 78.5 percent shooting from the charity stripe also indicates King’s shooting will translate to the NBA well.
King’s wiry frame and athleticism are good building blocks heading into the league. Even if none of his measurables jump off the stat sheet, his height and wingspan are still long enough to not be a hindrance. King plays with a smoothness about him, gracefully gliding around the court to either get open for a shot or cut hard to the rim for an easy bucket. While he definitely has defensive potential, he’ll never reach it unless he fills out his frame with muscle.
Weaknesses
Where his strengths end, is where his weaknesses begin. King has all the makings of an interesting prospect that could perhaps be taken in the top ten in a redraft three years from now. But first, he’s going to need to put on size. His 195-pound frame will get bullied by the NBA’s elite wings, who will have a weight advantage of at least 30-pounds on King. This issue is especially exacerbated by the fact he didn’t achieve a single rep on the bench press at the NBA Draft Combine. Wherever he goes, King will need utilize an NBA workout regimen to its fullest extent.
While the ball wouldn’t primarily run through King’s hands in Portland, it might be a concern that he only averaged 1.3 assists per game while being a focal point of Oregon’s offense. With the modern era of basketball revolving around making the smart pass, King can’t have sticky hands when the ball is dished his way.
Fit With Roster
The Blazers desperate need for an athletic wing that can knock down shots from deep as well as run in transition with the high-powered duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum was made clear in this year’s playoffs. King’s college shooting and speed drills at the combine were promising. Lillard and McCollum should be allowed to run-and-gun on the offensive end, driving the ball up the court in transition before deciding whether to take it to the rim or kick it out for an open three-point shot.
However, when your two forwards are Moe Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu that possibility is removed from the table. In fact, no players besides Lillard and McCollum average above 34.5 percent from deep while taking at least two attempts per game. That is absolutely dreadful in the modern NBA, which makes King a great step in the right direction.
Following King’s NBA Draft stock in the coming weeks will be particularly interesting for the Portland Trail Blazers, who may decide to keep him in the Beaver State for years to come.