Israeli-American guard Emanuel Sharp was selected 45th overall by the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Draft overnight Wednesday to Thursday, becoming Israel’s 10th draft pick ever. The 22-year-old, born in Tel Aviv and raised in Israel until age 13, is expected to be one of four Israelis in the league next season, alongside Deni Avdija, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf. The Kings, where Omri Casspi began his NBA career in 2009, are signaling a strong vote of confidence in the Houston sharpshooter, who could battle for rotation minutes under coach Doug Christie.
Sharp came to the draft after a breakout college season at Houston, where he averaged 15.5 points per game, shot 37.2 percent from three on 7.1 attempts per game, set the school’s all-time three-point record and earned a place on the Big 12 All-Defensive team. He also averaged 1.2 steals per game. Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said he had already spoken with Kings general manager Scott Perry and stressed, “They picked him to play right away. This is an amazing opportunity for him.”
Sharp, who trained with 13 teams before the draft and overcame a serious high school injury, is projected to sign a two-year deal with two additional team options, worth about $1.4 million per season. Another possibility is a two-way contract, which would limit him to 50 NBA games next season and send him to the G League for more minutes. Sharp had said two years ago, “I’m not looking to wear yellow at Yad Eliyahu, my goal is only the NBA.”
Sacramento is in a rebuilding phase, and Sharp will compete for guard minutes against established names such as Zach LaVine and Malik Monk, while the futures of Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan at the club remain unclear. His next chance to prove he belongs comes in the Las Vegas Summer League, which begins in two weeks.
The night was less positive for Noam Yaacov, who had been projected by some as a late second-round pick but went undrafted. The point guard, who is committed to the University of Utah, is now one of the top free agents on the market and can sign with any team. Another Jewish angle came from Jaylon Jones, the son of an Israeli mother, who was taken 54th by the Golden State Warriors after averaging 12.7 points at Florida State.
