Instant Grade: Kings Draft Emanuel Sharp With Pick No. 45

The Sacramento Kings continued their roster rebuild with their third pick of the draft, this time selecting Emanuel Sharp with the 45th pick of the draft. After selecting Darius Acuff Jr. with the seventh pick and jumping back into the late first round to snag Alex Karaban with the 29th pick, Sharp rounds out the trio as another player who can help the team immediately.

Sharp is already 22 years old and was a fifth-year senior last season at Houston, where he averaged 15.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals on 41.3% shooting from the field and 37.2% from three.

Emanuel Sharp is a flamethrower and can play defense too!

— 15.5 PPG
— 3.0 RPG
— 1.7 APG
— 1.2 SPG
— 41.3 FG%
— 37.2 3P% (7.1 3PA)
— 89.1 FT% .

25-26 All-Big 12 first-team selection. pic.twitter.com/jLAJFkwcaA
— KingsMuse (@kings_muse) June 25, 2026

What immediately stands out is his volume from three. Not only did he shoot the long ball at a great 37.2% last season, but he did so on 7.1 attempts per game. The Kings were dead last in three-point attempts last season, so bringing in another volume three-point shooter should do wonders to help bring their offense to the modern NBA.

With all that in mind, let's take a look at how he may factor into Sacramento's rotation next year.

Grade: B+

Mar 26, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp (21) and Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) reach for a loose ball in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Kings may have shored up their starting point guard spot last night when they drafted Acuff, but the minutes behind him are still up in the air. Russell Westbrook is a free agent, Malik Monk is once again on the trading block, and Devin Carter feels like he's on his way out after two seasons in Sacramento.

That gives Sharp an immediate path to the rotation to back up Acuff, and he complements the seventh pick perfectly. Sharp can knock down the three, but he's also a defensive ace who brings what Acuff lacks.

He made the Big-12 All-Defensive team last year and is a great point-of-attack defender. He's the type of defender that the Kings haven't had on the roster since they moved on from Davion Mitchell.

The only knocks on Sharp is that he's already 22 years old and that he doesn't bring much size to the roster. But for a second-round pick, his age isn't necessarily a bad thing. That just means he is closer to being able to make an impact right away, as we saw from Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell last season.

And in terms of size, it helps that the Kings have quietly put together a roster with more size than they had all year last season. Between Keegan Murray, De'Andre Hunter, Clifford, and Karaban, they are getting closer to a roster with multiple wing options. At the end of the day, they were always going to need another point guard, and this should cross that need off their to-do list for the summer.

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