Georgios

Papagiannis

“I can shoot three-point shots,” he said. “Maybe nobody has watched me shooting three-point shots in a game in Greece or in a practice, but I can do it.” Papagiannis believes his game is similar to the Gasol brothers, but obviously he’s got a lot of work to do and plenty to show before we can start making that connection. During summer league and the offseason, the rookie is prioritizing strengthening his body and improving his conditioning.

“He’s a tall kid that’s very mobile running up and down the floor, playing very good defense, [he] did very well shooting from outside,” Divac said. Papagiannis does have a Gasol-like body at 7'2", but Gasol is one of the more skilled bigs in the NBA. Perhaps Papagiannis gets a chance for minutes because he is not expected to be stashed, but he is really going to have to turn some heads this summer.

“Georgios Papagiannis is coming this year”, said Divac. “I would be crazy if I thought it differently. I watched him work out and our scouts followed him very much. We think that he can definitely be something similar to what Willy [Cauley-Stein] was last year. He has everything in his game. He is just young, he has a lot to learn of course. But he has a lot of talent in him. I am very happy. I think that he is someone that down the road, can probably be an All-Star player.” The comparison to WCS doesn’t really make sense, but it’s clear that Divac has high hopes for the 13th pick. Papagiannis probably won’t see too many minutes right out of the gate.

The Kings picked this pick up from their deal with the Suns. Papagiannis probably shouldn’t be younger than Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, the 18-year-old center from Greece impressed some scouts in workouts to boost his draft value. He’s 7’2" and already has size at 240 pounds. Papagiannis has big upside, but it might take a couple years for him to get regular playing time. He likely won’t have many minutes headed his way in the next couple seasons.

He had some stiffness on Friday and did not play. Papagiannis is questionable for Sunday’s Summer League game and the Kings might need him after a terrible game on Friday.

The Kings’ big man had an MRI on Sunday which ruled out structural damage. He struggled during a short first-half stint, but looked more confident while playing without a knee brace after halftime. The fact that he played in this meaningless game confirms that the Kings aren’t worried, and we’ll consider him probable for Monday’s exhibition.

He’s not going to play in Summer League tonight. Papagiannis didn’t have injury red flags coming into the draft, so this is a surprise. The Kings spent their 13th pick on him and are now reportedly shopping Kosta Koufos to possibly clear the way for him. The Kings were actually having a solid offseason, so bad news here would be a tough blow. There should be an update tomorrow.

Papagiannis is taking part in minicamp on Tuesday and it’s looking likely that the 13th pick of the 2016 NBA Draft will be with the Kings this season. The 19-year-old has upside at 7'2", but he’s unlikely to see big minutes as he begins his NBA career and isn’t on the fantasy radar just yet.

Papgiannis will play limited minutes behind DeMarcus Cousins during his rookie season, and won’t be worth drafting in most leagues.

He’s played a grand total of six minutes this season and has 18.0 fouls per 36 minutes. Obviously the Kings aren’t in a rush to bring along Papagiannis this season.