{"id":141171,"date":"2025-05-23T17:41:40","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T21:41:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=141171"},"modified":"2025-05-23T17:53:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T21:53:59","slug":"kings-host-raymond-felton-relative-nba-draft-workout-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/23\/kings-host-raymond-felton-relative-nba-draft-workout-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Kings Host NBA Standout\u2019s Relative In Draft Workout Group"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With just over a month to go until the 2025 NBA Draft, several prospects will hope to become part of the league&#8217;s next generation. Though the Sacramento Kings have just one second-round pick (42nd overall), they&#8217;re one of the franchises engrossed in the draft process. Not only have they <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/17\/2025-nba-draft-jeremiah-fears-5-teams-combine\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">met with a potential lottery selection<\/a> in Oklahoma&#8217;s Jeremiah Fears, they&#8217;re now hosting their second pre-draft workout group.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/08\/assessing-sacramento-kings-first-pre-draft-workout-group\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">first group featured<\/a> Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams, Missouri guard Tamar Bates, Florida center Rueben Chinyelu, Georgia guard Silas Demary Jr., Villanova guard Wooga Poplar and Kentucky center Amari Williams. Since their workouts, Williams and Chinyelu have withdrawn their name from the draft.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/James_HamNBA\/status\/1925661765783744553\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">second group features<\/a> Tennessee guard Zakai Ziegler, East Carolina wing RJ Felton, Perth Wildcats wing Ben Henshall, Mississippi State forward Cameron Matthews, UAB forward Yaxel Lendeborg, and Oklahoma State forward Jalon Moore (per James Ham of The Kings Beat).<\/p>\n<h2>Kings Host Second Draft Workout Group<\/h2>\n<h3>Zakai Ziegler<\/h3>\n<p>Ziegler is shifty and seasoned but significantly undersized. He wasn\u2019t invited to the 2025 NBA Draft Combine and officially measured. However, he\u2019s listed at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4883573\/zakai-zeigler\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">5-foot-9 and 171 pounds<\/a> by ESPN.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xm41rghDO8o?si=1woTjcm451IQFMtT\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In any case, the two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year is an effective point guard who averaged 13.6 points, 7.4 assists, and 1.9 steals per game in 2024-25. Due to his age (22) and height, he may get drafted in the second round if he\u2019s selected at all. Nevertheless, his potential impact as a two-way playmaker and two-way signing warrants closer inspection.<\/p>\n<h3>RJ Felton<\/h3>\n<p>Not to be confused with his cousin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/f\/feltora01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Raymond Felton Jr.<\/a>, who played for seven teams in his 14-year NBA career, this Felton (Jr.) also has a relatively stout build at 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds (per ESPN). However, he has more lean, athletic build.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">RJ Felton getting in a little predraft workout in Utah with the Jazz franchise \ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/SKhSMYumCU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/SKhSMYumCU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Sports Objective (@TheSportsOBJ) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheSportsOBJ\/status\/1925327105895920099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 21, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>More importantly, he\u2019s demonstrated upside as a shooter while taking 43.9 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. In 2024-25, he converted a career-high 37.6 percent of his 3s. The South Carolina native also had a workout scheduled with the Utah Jazz this week.<\/p>\n<h3>Ben Henshall<\/h3>\n<p>Henshall is the only player in the group that has professional experience, having played in Australia\u2019s National Basketball League (NBL) for two seasons.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ulfgXI2e_xU?si=YIb759_Sv6pQvMZH\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>An adept scorer at 6-foot-5 and 198 pounds (per Basketball Reference), the Perth Wildcats wing averaged 9.5 points per game and shot 33.3 percent from 3 in 2024-25. At 20 years old, he could be a draft-and-stash candidate for the Kings. It\u2019s worth mentioning that <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/08\/assessing-portland-trail-blazers-first-pre-draft-workout-group\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">he had a workout<\/a> with the Portland Trail Blazers at the beginning of the month.<\/p>\n<h3>Cameron Matthews<\/h3>\n<p>Listed at 6-foot-7 and 235 pounds by ESPN, Matthews certainly has an NBA size.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141187\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141187\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-141187\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6511-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6511-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6511-1024x682.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6511-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6511-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6511-600x400.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6511-1200x800.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6511.jpeg 1940w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141187\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mar 21, 2025; Raleigh, NC, USA; Baylor Bears guard VJ Edgecombe (7) passes the ball away from Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Cameron Matthews (4) during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Additionally, the fifth-year senior averaged 7.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game in 2024-25. Those numbers are reminiscent of Golden State Warriors forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/greendr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Draymond Green<\/a>\u2019s. Similarly, he\u2019s a strong, multi-positional on-ball defender with playmaking skills. Yet, he still needs to find a form of reliable offense <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/NLk9ko7hduY?si=Feseb4dmcpMnXWfL\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">as a scorer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Yaxel Lendeborg<\/h3>\n<p>Lendeborg has been generating buzz for a few months now. Indeed, with the numbers he\u2019s put up, he could be a late first-round selection despite his senior status.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Yaxel Lendeborg&#8217;s outstanding season ended in the NIT quarterfinals last night. The 6&#8217;9 big man helped his standing considerably with NBA teams, showcasing his ability to handle, pass, shoot, and rebound, with the type of two-way versatility, skill, and instincts NBA teams covet <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/iF3cpTt51d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/iF3cpTt51d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DraftExpress\/status\/1905296978151399942?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 27, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>With that being said, he averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals per game in 2024-25. At 6-foot-9 (without shoes), he shot 35.7 percent from 3. He&#8217;s also a two-time AAC Defensive Player of the Year. There are enough tools in his kit to believe he could become a rotation player at the NBA level.<\/p>\n<h3>Jalon Moore<\/h3>\n<p>Despite averaging 15.9 points per game and shooting 37.1 percent from 3 in 2024-25, Moore seems to have gone under the radar. Like many of the prospects in this workout group, his senior status may have had a hand in that. To that point, younger players tend to be the focus of fans and talent evaluators.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vxhgq5fnr6M?si=lB4Ve4qvzKJceVYY\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Still, it&#8217;s unfortunate, as Moore has a game that&#8217;s tailor-made for today&#8217;s NBA. A more than capable slasher, 58 percent of his field goal attempts were taken at the rim last season. Another 29.9 percent of his field goal attempts were from 3-point range. He can even excel in transition and play out the pick-and-roll.<\/p>\n<div class=\"modal-image-setImageMetadata\">\n<p class=\"ng-binding\">\u00a9 Jeff Blake-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With just over a month to go until the 2025 NBA Draft, several prospects will hope to become part of the league&#8217;s next generation. Though the Sacramento Kings have just one second-round pick (42nd overall), they&#8217;re one of the franchises engrossed in the draft process. Not only have they met with a potential lottery selection [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":141192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29,1608,62,556],"tags":[2509,2903,98,1000,1350,1763,3904],"class_list":["post-141171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kings","category-basketball","category-nba","category-nba-draft","tag-east-carolina-pirates","tag-mississippi-state-bulldogs","tag-nba-draft","tag-nbl","tag-oklahoma-sooners","tag-tennessee-volunteers","tag-uab-blazers"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141171"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":141195,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141171\/revisions\/141195"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}