Deandre Ayton and De’Aaron Fox could be Kings fans’ pick-and-roll dream

Sacramento got lucky and its pick leapfrog into the top three. If they get lucky again, the Kings could have a deadly 1-2 punch for the next decade.

When the NBA Draft lottery results ping-ponged their way onto national television, donning the Phoenix Suns the luckiest of all with the rights to the No. 1 pick, it meant that likely No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton might not be the No. 1 pick anymore.

The Suns hired Igor Kokoskov as head coach shortly after their season ended, and Kokoskov coached top draft prospect Luka Doncic on the Slovenian national team in each of the past two seasons. Those ties could usher in an era of Luka ball in Phoenix.

(For what it’s worth, our Suns blog Bright Side of the Sun is divided on the pick).

If Doncic goes to Phoenix, it could also pave the way for the restoration of big-time basketball in northern California.

The Sacramento Kings vaulted up to the No. 2 pick in this year’s NBA draft, and it was De’Aaron Fox who represented the team during the lottery. If the Suns do indeed pick Doncic No. 1, Fox’s luck just might have created the next dominant guard-big combo the league will see.

Fox and Ayton will be incredible together in Sacramento

If you don’t know who Dedndre Ayton is or why he’s been the consensus No. 1 overall pick all year long, here’s some required reading. Joel Embiid might have your attention now, but Ayton is the next true big man the league will see, and he’s projecting to dominate once he steps onto the court.

The comparisons are lofty. Some say David Robinson. Others liken him to Patrick Ewing. By the time he’s developed, Ayton could be something the likes of which we’ve never seen. And if he morphs into a combination of those two Hall of Fame bigs, that’s not a bad place to be, either.

Ayton averaged 20 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game as a freshman at Arizona before taking his talents to the NBA. Even more impressive, the 7’1” big man has range out to the college three-point line, where he shot 34.3 percent, albeit on limited attempts. It’s only a matter of time before he can consistently knock down NBA threes.

Ayton’s Wildcats were bounced by Buffalo in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but he didn’t get enough touches to warrant true criticism of his 14-point performance — and he still outscored all of his Zona teammates.

Ayton is exactly what Fox (and the Kings) need

Ayton has the potential to be a more than capable rim protector, though he struggles on that end now. He can stretch the floor, score on the low block, finish at the rim and in pick-and-roll and/or pick-and-pop situations. That’s like a young point guard’s dream, and De’Aaron Fox’s dream just came true.

The Kings were a top-10 team in running plays that resulted in an attempt for the pick-and-roll roll man last season, but they were second-to-last on points per roll man possessions. Sacramento shot the fourth-worst field goal percentage on those roll man attempts. Much like the Nets — a team that shot an inordinate amount of threes at an alarmingly low clip — it shows that the Kings want to run screen and rolls, they just don’t have the talent to convert them enough.

Ayton is the game changer there, and Fox is the maestro. The Kings’ guard was the ball handler in a pick-and-roll for 42.7 percent of his possessions last season. His comparisons to Mike Conley are no mistake: Fox has the tools to become on of the better pick-and-roll guards in the league. He’s already shown what he can do this season. It’s only up from here.

That’s with Willie Cauley-Stein at the five spot. Imagine a player as dominant as Ayton. Yeah, Fox is probably way ahead of you.

This could be the beginning of good things for the Kings

Last season, we saw the Kings take a step toward changing the trajectory of their franchise. They traded DeMarcus Cousins in a deal highlighted by Buddy Hield. Hield is from the Bahamas, and so is Ayton. They will have a connection once he walks through the door.

The Kings also found solid players with each of their draft picks (Fox, Justin Jackson, and maybe Harry Giles), then they signed Zach Randolph, Vince Carter and George Hill — three quality, no nonsense vets — to help guide their young players. Hill was traded and Carter is likely departing as a free agent, but Randolph was a nice culture-setter for them.

Now, they’ve been blessed with the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, and the guy who they may have wanted at No. 1 all along might still be available. We’re watching a franchise’s dream morph into reality. If Ayton falls to No. 2, that dream could come true.

And if Doncic falls to No. 2 instead, that’s also just fine.