Texas Tech basketball alums: Kings get high grades for drafting Jahmi’us Ramsey

Texas Tech basketball alum Jahmi’us Ramsey went to the Sacramento Kings in last night’s NBA Draft in a move that many are praising.

The Texas Tech basketball program has now had a player taken in each of the last three NBA drafts after going from 2005 -2017 without having a single player selected.  But many Red Raider fans were hoping for better for this year’s Red Raider draftee, Jahmi’us Ramsey.

The shooting guard who led the Red Raiders in scoring this past season at 15 points per game and who earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors was taken No. 43 overall by the Sacramento Kings, far later than most projections had him going.   Being a second-round pick is less than ideal for draftees given that it means their rookie contracts are not guaranteed so Ramsey had to be a bit disappointed to fall out of the first round.

Now, Ramsey is no lock to make this year’s Sacramento roster.  In fact, he may wind up spending most of his rookie season in the G League as he develops his game.

But while falling to No. 43 was not what Ramsey had in mind when the night began, his selection is being praised as a great move by the Kings.  In fact, many are considering Ramsey one of the steals of the second round.

Bleacher Report gives the Kings an overall draft grade of “A” after they also took Iowa State’s Tyreese Haliburton in the first round at no. 12 and Robert Woodard II and Xavier Tillman in the second round.  They believe that Ramsey’s shooting prowess could pay dividends right away.

"“Ramsey could be an immediate upgrade to the team’s three-point shooting,” writes Joe Tansey. “He hit 44.2 percent of his shots and made 42.6 percent of his three-point attempts at Texas Tech.”More from Wreck'Em RedTexas Tech football: Red Raider fans need to know about these MountaineersTexas Tech football: Red Raiders land first commit for class of 2025Texas Tech football: Why have the Red Raiders struggled on the road under McGuire?Texas Tech football: Why the Red Raiders can compete for a Big 12 titleTexas Tech football: Plenty of questions remain as conference play arrives"

Meanwhile, Brenden Nunes at The Kings’ Herald seems to love the addition of Ramsey.  He even goes so far as to call the pick “phenomenal”.

"“There is some positional overlap with Ramsey being just 6’4”, Nunes writes, “likely limiting him to the shooting guard role, but he could be molded to eventually take over the Buddy Hield role.“If Ramsey can manage to improve his shot selection and reach his potential defensively, Sacramento may have just landed a first-round talent at pick 43.”"

James Ham at NBCSports.com gave the selection of Ramsey a “B+”.  He believes that the former Red Raider will be a two-way player between the NBA and the G League this year.

"“Ramsey fell lower than expected on draft night,” he writes.  “At 19-years-old, he’s a young prospect, but he has plenty of upside. He’ll need time to work out some of the kinks in his game, but he shot 42.6 percent from 3-point range in his lone season at the NCAA level and led his team in scoring at 15 per game. He needs to work on his shot selection and focus on defense, but there is potential for him to develop into a solid player at the NBA level. He’ll likely see time in the G League early in his career and he’s a candidate for the Kings’ lone remaining two-way contract.”"

Meanwhile, Richard Ivanowski of the Sacramento Bee is even higher on the selection of Ramsey.  In fact, he gives the pick an “A”.

"“…I think his potential is well worth the investment,” he writes. “If he is treated as a microwave scorer off the bench, he could play a valuable role. He plays with style and juice and could eventually be a strong shot-creator and shot-maker. Even his defensive highlights are promising.“Other interesting options were on the board at No. 43, but Ramsey was one of three players left I felt would fit Sacramento’s long-term plans. He ranked 30th on my big board. In a league where scoring is the most premium skill, Ramsey is a fantastic gamble.”"

Leading up to the draft, it appeared as if Ramsey had a great shot at being a late first-round pick.  In fact, many prognosticators forecasted that he would be off the board somewhere in the early-to-mid-20s.

Unfortunately, that didn’t prove to be the case as he fell to the middle of the second round.  But what’s important is that he’s now going to have an opportunity at the NBA level and that’s all any player can ask for.  And as for the Kings, they may have come away with one of the sneakier steals of the entire draft.