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Kings Have Another Secret Pre-Draft Workout With Top Guard Prospect

The Sacramento Kings are keeping their pre-draft workouts under wraps this offseason.
Eric Sperlazza|
Mar 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) reacts while playing against the Baylor Bears in the second half at Fertitta Center.
Mar 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) reacts while playing against the Baylor Bears in the second half at Fertitta Center. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

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Sacramento Kings

While it isn’t uncommon for prospects to come for workouts with no media attention, the Sacramento Kings have made that a habit this offseason. 

Recently, it was confirmed that the Kings did, in fact, bring in their assumed top target, Darius Acuff Jr., for a private workout. Acuff is widely expected to be the Kings' primary target in the 2026 NBA draft, but there are also many other guards that they likely have high on their board. 

One of those guards is like Kingston Flemings, who also came for a workout in Sacramento, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.

“Flemings should be there for Sacramento's choosing, too. And we've learned that he indeed visited the Kings for a pre-draft workout last week as well,” Fischer reported.

Not Everything Is Bigger in Texas, or Is It?

Kingston Flemings has started to fly under the radar as a top guard option in the 2026 draft. Less-than-ideal measurements at the combine certainly halted the expectation that he would be a game-changer on defense immediately. At 6-foot-2.5 without shoes and with a just 6-foot-4 wingspan, Flemings does not look like the ideal defensive stalwart at the point of attack. 

However, if you’ve watched Flemings at all this season, you can see that he played much bigger than his measurements showed. 

Flemings averaged 1.5 steals per game while also being trusted by one of the toughest, defensive-minded coaches in the NCCA, Kelvin Sampson. Sampson was always tough on Flemings’s defense in the media, but you can tell he really took the criticism to heart. More than just the steal numbers, you can see that Flemings truly cares about that side of the ball, and that effort and attention come into play on offense as well. 

Normally, 16 points per game for a freshman point guard is nothing to turn your nose up at, but incredible seasons from Darryn Peterson, Darius Acuff Jr., Keaton Wagler, Ebuka Okorie, and others likely muddied the waters for Flemings. 

Another point worth noting about Flemings is that scoring is likely not going to be where he makes the most impact offensively. While much of this is a matter of opinion, I’m not sure it’s arguable that Fleming is one of the best passers in the 2026 draft.

Flemings’s 32.6% assist percentage and 2.9 assist/turnover ratio back up what you see on the court when it comes to his playmaking. Possibly even more impressive is that Kingston was able to make high-level reads while playing extremely fast and aggressively with the ball in his hands. 

On top of the playmaking, Flemings had nine rim attempts per 100 possessions and shot nearly 39% from three and 44% from the mid-range. Flemings’s size and strength definitely pose questions at the next level, but the combine numbers may be overblown when you look at his body of work.

What’s the Catch?

Beyond the subpar measurements at the combine, there are a few other factors that have kept Flemings a bit lower on most boards compared to other guards. Some of this does have to do with Flemings being a bit lighter, but he did have some trouble dealing with bigger, stronger guards on defense. 

Though Kingston held his own really well against Acuff Jr. when they faced off overall, there were some clear moments where Acuff Jr. was able to go through him to get to the line or get a bucket. In the NBA, Flemings will need to deal with players even bigger and stronger than Acuff Jr., and that may be a bit problematic if he isn’t able to add size and strength.

Flemings shot very well from three at Houston; however, it was on quite low volume for a lead guard, and he also struggled off the bounce a bit. He’ll have some time to improve, and many guards don’t come into the league as elite off-the-bounce shooters (thinking of Tyrese Maxey), which should quell some fears about that aspect of his game. 

As mentioned, Flemings was very capable when it came to getting to the rim, but he only finished 57% of his shots there. Some of that has to do with his wingspan, some of it is strength, but a lot of those issues came down to Flemings’s somewhat high dribbling and pick-ups that made his drives less efficient than they could be.

Is Flemings a Better Fit for Kings Than Other Top Prospects?

Acuff Jr. has been connected to the Kings ad nauseam, but there are some reasons why Flemings may be the better choice for Sacramento. First, I’m confident that Flemings will be the better NBA defender by a wide margin, and that is something that the Kings should care about. 

Despite his size, the effort is always there, and he is one of the most athletic players in the draft with a 40+ inch vertical and very good numbers in both the sprint and lane agility drills at the combine. Defense is going to be the primary reason why Flemings would get the nod over Acuff Jr., but there are offensive factors as well. 

Earlier in the cycle, I would have said that Acuff Jr. is the better fit for the Kings (and I did) because of his offensive potential. After watching more of Flemings, I came away feeling like he has a lot more to fall back on offensively. There are real worries about Flemings’s shot, but his passing, rim pressure, and basketball IQ showed up even in games where he struggled to get the ball in the basket. 

I fear that Acuff Jr. may not shoot it as well as he did at Arkansas, and if he doesn’t, he may not be able to make up for his negative defensive impact.

With Nique Clifford, Keegan Murray, De’Andre Hunter, and other bigger players on the court, I wouldn’t be nearly as worried about Flemings’s size being an issue. Still, the Kings need to add to their defensive personnel and add shooting around a player like Flemings to get the most out of him. 

Possibly more important than any of the quantitative data is the qualitative part for Sacramento, as they look to build a reputation as a squad that teams don’t enjoy facing. To me, Flemings would help accomplish that with his relentless rim pressure and tireless effort on defense.

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Eric Sperlazza
ERIC SPERLAZZA

Eric Sperlazza covers the NBA and Sacramento Kings for Sacramento Kings On SI.

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