Draft Prospect Highlights: Mojave King
Overview
Mojave King hails from New Zealand, where he began playing competitive basketball in 2018 for the Brisbane Capitals of NBL1 North. King later spent time with the Cairns Taipans, Adelaide 36ers and Southland Sharks of the NBL in New Zealand. In 2020, the Taipans signed King as a 17 year old as part of the NBL’s “Next Stars” program. King went on to average 6.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. In his final season in the NBL (2022), King joined the Southland Sharks and averaged 18.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in 16 appearances. In the fall of 2022, King signed with the NBA G League Ignite, marking his first foray into American basketball. King appeared in 30 games for the Ignite during the 2022-23 season, making eight starts and averaging 25.1 minutes per game. King posted 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.6 made threes per game while shooting 41.3 percent from the floor.
Analysis
King is a strong, well-developed guard whose size and length should translate well to the NBA. He’s an effortless, bouncy athlete (42” max vertical leap) at 6-foot-5 and should be able to swing between shooting guard and wing. Defensively, King can guard multiple positions, and his athleticism and long arms enable him to contest shots and pull down rebounds in traffic. At this point in his development, King is tracking more as a role player on offense, but he has a smooth shooting stroke that should improve with time. King shot 24.3 percent from downtown in the G League, but he was a markedly better three-point shooter throughout his time in the NBL.
Projection
King is trending toward being a potential second-round prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft. He has plenty of upside on both ends of the floor, but he’ll likely be viewed as a developmental piece in the immediate future. In the right situation, King could turn into a solid, two-way role player at the NBA level. King displays some traits similar to KJ Martin, Josh Green and Josh Okogie.
— Profile by RotoWire