Alex

Karaban

The 29th overall pick in last month’s draft, Karaban injured his ankle during one of the Kings’ final practices before the California Classic. He sat out all three games, including Monday’s win over the Bucks, and the rookie won’t be available when Sacramento begins play in Las Vegas at the end of the week. Given the timeline, there’s hope that Karaban will be able to play at some point this summer, but that is not guaranteed.

Karaban left college as one of the most accomplished players in the sport’s recent history, having won a school-record 126 games and two national titles while at UConn. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward helped lead the Huskies to their third national title game appearance in four years last season, averaging 13.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.8 blocks and 1.9 three-pointers per game. While not a jump-off-the-screen athlete, Karaban’s shooting ability and basketball IQ should serve him well in the NBA. Sacramento sent pick 34 and a future second-round pick to move up to 29 to add Karaban to the rotation. He may not provide much value for fantasy managers, but he should be a solid piece for the Kings.