Fair enough. We will just agree to disagree but I respect your opinion. My opinion of Isaac isn't that he's going to turn out to be a 3&D guy. I just think he has a much higher likely of being that than he does being a go to guy on offense. I don't try to nail down a prediction on any of these guys because obviously I don't know, but like any GM or scout, you want to kind of put a percentage there of what you think they will wind up being. Smith, to me, has a higher likelihood of being a bust than Isaac but I think he has a much higher likelihood of being a go to guy than Isaac does as well. I think the Kings need to be in a swing for the fences mode since we have no star at this point and we certainly aren't going to land any in free agency. It's all just a guessing game at this point but it is fun to see how wildly everyone's opinions differ on these guys.
Not trying to pick on you ESP47 but I think "swinging for the fences" is the wrong term. This implies undue risk. The Kings traded away the most talented player in franchise history for $0.50 on the dollar. They were fortunate to parlay the panicked Boogie trade into 5th and 10th pick in a LOADED draft. Now they need to cash in those assets. That is NOT going to happen by "swinging for fences" when likely to strike out as much (or more) as hit home run. The Kings have to do
reward vs risk analysis on each prospect, and choose player that checks the most boxes in the positive column relative to the negative column. This is "educated guessing game" more than a "guessing game" especially with the abundance of data and resources available to the casual fan.
I remember last year when "draft gurus" were projecting Buddy as a back-up in NBA. They were questioning his length and hops and discounting his production because of his age. I scoffed at this because I saw a superior shot maker who set records for efficiency (65% TS), who changed ends well, had polished footwork to create space. Then when I heard interviews it was obvious he was a good kid with superior attitude and work ethic which portends continued improvement. This reduces risk. The reason I mention this is I get opposite sense in regards to Smith Jr. when I hear his interview. That doesn't mean it won't pan out or he is a bad kid. But it does mean you are incurring another degree of risk in reward to risk equation. One more thing with these players is positional versatility. Isaac projects as combo forward who can switch to SGs and even check 5s when he gets stronger. This would be extraordinary! He looks like a guy who can guard anywhere on the floor. By contrast Smith has NO positional versatility. He plays one position. So this affects risk to reward ratio favorably for one player and unfavorably for other.
Again this does not mean Smith won't or can't be a star in the league but probabilities get dimmer. Isaiah Thomas's don't enter the league everyday. This is another reason the call is easy in my mind to take Isaac before Smith. The real question is would you take Isaac over Tatum??? If Fox is gone, this may be the biggest draft day decision the Kings face.