NBA Draft Scouting Report: G League Ignite's Mojave King
Mojave King
Guard | G League Ignite
Height: 6'5” | Weight: 195 lbs
2023 Draft Age: 20.94
Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports
Prospect Profile
The pre-season hype for G League Ignite ahead of the 2022-23 season was through the roof, as the team had not only the best NBA prospect playing in America in Scoot Henderson, but also a number of players in Efe Abogidi, Leonard Miller and Sidy Cissoko who were expected to solidify their cases as NBA prospects. Mojave King didn’t come to Ignite with the same level of hype, but as the G League Ignite season progressed, he has seen his draft stock rise.
Before joining the G League, the New Zealand born prospect played for quite some time professionally. After consistently standing out at youth competitions in Australia during his teenage years, King joined the NBA Global Academy in January of 2019. The then 16-year-old King, found himself in the spotlight as a part of one of the most stacked youth teams international basketball has seen during the past decade, on a roster that included three future NBA Players in Dyson Daniels, Josh Giddey and Bennedict Mathurin, plus college standouts Taran Armstrong, Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Aly Khalifa. King left NBA Academy and signed with the Cairns Taipans instead of playing college ball in the US ahead of the 2020-21 Australian NBL season as part of the NBL Next Stars program, which has produced several early draft picks in recent years.
Things didn’t go smoothly for King in his rookie NBL season, as the potential 2021 NBA Draft prospect didn’t play much with Cairns but then switched teams to play with the Adelaide 36ers where he struggled to get playing time once again. From there, he signed with the Southland Sharks of the New Zealand NBL where he was able to receive big minutes and make an impact before joining the Ignite.
King is a versatile shooter who moves well off the ball and shoots an extremely repeatable jumper. His high release point and ability to prepare quickly makes it hard for opponents to contest his jumper. His effortless stroke is quick and fluid. King has also shown moments of shooting off the dribble, being able to do more than just knock down rhythm shots. The 3-point shooting efficiency at the G League level doesn't tell the whole story for the sharpshooter, who had an inconsistent shooting season.
King utilizes his shooting gravity to draw closeouts, which he attacks with a solid combination of speed and power. He doesn’t have the most fluid handle in terms of changing directions or creating space out of dribble moves alone, but he compensates with his quick first step and a number of pre-dribble moves. He also doesn’t process the game at an elite level, so he is better suited off-ball anyways rather than being a lead guard.
King also makes a strong impact defensively. At 6-foot-5 with a near 6-foot-8 wingspan, he uses his long arms, his strong frame and his ability to elevate from a standstill to contest and block shots at the rim, as well as to collaborate as a defensive rebounder. On the perimeter is where King makes most of his impact, having the optimal size and length to defend both guard positions. He plays with a lot of energy defensively and moves laterally extremely well, being able to keep opponents in front of him and contain dribble penetration.
The upside as a shooter is certainly there, especially for someone who just played an entire season with the extended NBA shooting distance. The combine and pre-draft workouts could be huge for King to prove he's better than his percentages would suggest.
A potential 3-and-D off-ball guard or wing at the NBA level, King is worth a second-round look. He has basketball in his genes, as his mom, dad and older sister each have experience playing high level hoops.
Highlights
Draft Projection
Potential Second-Round Pick in 2023 NBA Draft.
2023 Big Board
Want to know more about other potential 2023 NBA Draft prospects and where they might get selected? Check out our Draft Digest Pro Big Board.
Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
For a free account and access to Cerebro Sports, the largest Basketball Player Database in the world, sign up here.