Scouting the Second Round for Potential Gems

In the NBA Draft, the First Round reigns supreme.  That's where your franchise cornerstones and future stars are picked, as well as the main bulk of NBA players that stick around.  The 2nd round is usually an afterthought for most, consisting of mostly Seniors and Foreign players that never even make it over to the United States.

Yet every year there seem to be a few players that slip through the cracks into the 2nd round and end up being just as good, if not better than a lot of 1st rounders.  

In the last five years alone, the following players have been drafted in the 2nd round: Landry Fields, Dejuan Blair, Sam Young, Marcus Thornton, Chase Budinger, Mario Chalmers, DeAndre Jordan, Omer Asik, Luc Mbah a Moute, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Goran Dragic, Carl Landry, Glen Davis, Josh McRoberts, Marc Gasol, Ramon Sessions and Paul Millsap. 

So are there any diamonds in the rough this year?  The Kings hold the 35th and 60th picks in the 2nd round, and while the odds are bad that they'll grab a future star or even a rotation player with either of those picks, whose to say this isn't our year to find a hidden gem?

What follows is a list of prospects that could be available to us in the 2nd round, sorted by position, and a small scouting report on each with much thanks to the help of DraftExpress and Chad Ford's Top 100, as well as some of my own observations.

Read, and share your thoughts on who you'd like to see the Kings take a chance on in the 2nd round.

Point Guards:

Reggie Jackson, 6'3, 210 lbs, 21 yrs, Junior, Boston College

• Jackson is a physically gifted guard who is becoming more comfortable running an offense.  He has a 7'0(!) wingspan, and an improving jumpshot (he hit 42% of his threes last year after 29.1% the year before, and 50.3% overall, up from 43.0%).  His biggest problem is forcing the issue at times.  Jackson likely won't be available in the 2nd round.

Darius Morris, 6'5, 190 lbs, 20 yrs, Sophomore, Michigan

• Morris is a big point guard, and unlike guys like Tyreke Evans or Rodney Stuckey, there won't be many questions as to whether or not he is a true point guard, because he's a facilitator first and foremost, averaging 6.7 assists with a 2.3 A/TO ratio last year.  His size also allows him to be an excellent defender.  On offense, he gets points by attacking the basket or from his reliable mid-range jumper.  He's not a good three point shooter and also isn't super athletic.  He's not flashy, but he's reliable.

Nolan Smith, 6'4, 190 lbs, 22 yrs, Senior, Duke

• Smith was given the reins to the Duke offense when Kyrie Irving went down with injury and he filled in admirably, even though up to that point he had been more of a SG than a point.  He's more comfortable scoring than passing, although he can do both.  He's a good shooter, especially in the mid-range, and also can get to the rim as well.  He's big and quick enough to guard both ones and twos.  Perhaps his biggest weakness is that he can be a bit streaky on his shot, especially from long range.

Norris Cole, 6'2, 175 lbs, 22 yrs, Senior, Cleveland St.

• Cole is interesting in that he's a true point guard who also can score a lot of points thanks to his good shooting and penetrating ability.  He improved in almost every statistical category each year he was in college.  His defensive effort is good, although he has trouble fighting through screens and guarding quicker guards.

Diante Garrett, 6'4, 180 lbs, 22 yrs, Senior, Iowa St.

• An excellent passing guard, with great size for his position.  He also improved tremendously on offense last year, doubling his PPG in only 5 more MPG.  He's not a good shooter however, and his points come from using his quickness to get to the basket.  

Shelvin Mack, 6'3, 210 lbs, 21 yrs, Junior, Butler

• Mack has been the floor leader of two Butler squads that reached the NCAA finals in back-to-back years.  While they never won, Mack was a big part of both their runs.  He was able to do a little bit of everything for Butler, hitting shots, attacking the basket, and facilitating.  He's not great at any one thing though.  His A/TO ratio was only 1.41 and his jumper is inconsistent despite him taking a lot of them.  Mack might have trouble adapting to life as a bench roleplayer in the NBA.

Demetri McCamey, 6'3, 205 lbs, 22 yrs, Senior, Illinois

• A big physical guard with excellent court vision.  He averaged 6.1 APG last year, and 7.1 the year before, both times with an A/TO ratio of 2.1.  His shot has also improved, although his shot selection hasn't.  He had some conditioning question marks his first few years but really improved on that end during the last year or so.

Isaiah Thomas, 5'11, 190 lbs, 22 yrs, Junior, Washington

• A better passing, slightly taller version of Nate Robinson and Earl Boykins.  He has insane athleticism, a decent, if inconsistent, shot, and has improved mightily as a facilitator.  Last year alone he doubled his assists in the same amount of minutes, and had a 2.05 A/TO ratio, better than any of the lottery projected guards.  Still, he is very small for his position, and defense will always be a question mark with him no matter his effort due to his size.

Andrew Goudelock, 6'3, 200 lbs, 22 yrs, Senior, Charleston

• If you like Jimmer Fredette, you'll like Goudelock.  He's one of the best shooters in the draft, shooting 40% or above from three every year in college.  He's not much of a facilitator however, has the same question marks as Jimmer does on defense, and isn't nearly the shot creator, relying more on spot-ups.

Cory Joseph, 6'3, 185 lbs, 19 yrs, Freshman, Texas

• One of the few Freshmen prospects in the 2nd round.  Main reason is because he's more of a scorer than passer.  He's a quick guard with a good shot who also excels at penetrating to the rim.  He also has a lot of room to grow as a facilitator thanks to his youth.

Shooting Guards:

Iman Shumpert, 6'6, 220 lbs, 20 yrs, Junior, Georgia Tech

• The most physically gifted player in the entire Draft.  He's got great size, strength, and is very quick and explosive.  He's a little bit like Tyreke on offense, in that he can facilitate and he loves attacking the basket, drawing a lot of fouls in the process.  On defense, he uses his size and athleticism to great effect, able to cover both guards and wings.  He probably won't last to the 2nd round.

Charles Jenkins, 6'3, 215 lbs, 22 yrs, Senior, Hofstra

• Jenkins follows in the path of other undersized shooting guards who are nonetheless great scorers, like Ben Gordon, Marcus Thornton, or O.J. Mayo.  He also became much more adept at running the point during college, although in the NBA he'll likely be providing more of a scoring punch.  He's an excellent shooter, and has decent fundamentals defensively.  He probably won't last to the 2nd round.

Malcolm Lee, 6'6, 200 lbs, 21 yrs, Junior, UCLA

• He has good size and great speed for a SG, and was UCLA's lockdown perimeter defender.  He can also run the point in a pinch, although he has only had a 1.2 A/TO ratio the last two years, which isn't great.  He's not a great shooter and most of his points come from attacking the basket.

Travis Leslie, 6'4, 205 lbs, 21 yrs, Junior, Georgia

• Famously said he was "Better than Tony Allen" at the Draft Combine.  He kind of is like Tony Allen: a super athletic, long guard who can defend twos and threes and thinks he's a much better offensive player than he is.  He also can't shoot from distance.  Most of his points come from attacking the basket.

Bojan Bogdanovic, 6'7, 216 lbs, 22 yrs, Croatia

• He's a scorer first and foremost.  He likes to attack the basket, and has a solid mid-range jumper to boot.  He shoots a lot of three pointers as well, but he's not great at them.  His aggressive mentality means he gets to the line a lot.  He just signed a new International contract, so there could be buyout issues.

E'Twaun Moore, 6'4, 190 lbs, 22 yrs, Senior, Purdue

• A long combo guard with a good shot who can run the point at times.  He's a bit streaky as a scorer, able to erupt for some big numbers when his shot is really on.  He's not very strong or big however, and while he was a good wing defender in college, he'll need to work on his body in order to remain a good defender in the NBA.

Ben Hansbrough, 6'3, 200 lbs, 23 yrs, Senior, Notre Dame

• Brother of Psycho-T and same workhorse, blue collar attitude.   He's a lights out shooter, can handle the ball and has decent court vision with a good A/TO ratio.  He has a reputation as a good defender as well, although his lack of quickness will hurt him in the NBA.

David Lighty, 6'7, 215 lbs, 23 yrs, Senior, Ohio St.

• Solid roleplaying swingman.  His three-point jumper has really improved, shooting 38.3% his Junior year and 42.9% as a senior.  He's also a decent defender, rebounder and passer although he doesn't excel at any one thing.  He reminds me a bit of Landry Fields with his versatility.

Justin Holiday, 6'6, 190 lbs, 22 yrs, Senior, Washington

• Brother of Jrue Holiday, with the same reputation for athleticism and defense.  He's improving as a jump shooter, going from 0% from three as a Freshman to 35.9% last year, and he's also a decent passer and rebounder for his position.  He doesn't have much going for him on offense though, and he'll definitely need to add some weight in the NBA.

Scotty Hopson, 6'7, 200 lbs, 21 yrs, Junior, Tennessee

• An athletic shooter/scorer.  His jumper has improved and become much more consistent throughout his college career.  He is very turnover prone however, averaging more turnovers than assists in all three years.  He's also a poor defender despite his physical gifts, and despite his good scoring ability, he disappears for stretches of time.

Small Forwards:

Kyle Singler, 6'9, 230 lbs, 23 yrs, Senior, Duke

• Dare I make the comparison to another Dukie in Mike Dunleavy?  Singler is probably the better defender of the two, thanks to his good size and length, although he's not that athletic.  He'll also need his jump shot to become consistent.

Jimmy Butler, 6'8, 215 lbs, 21 yrs, Senior, Marquette

• A tweener forward, Butler's game is a mix of inside and outside on offense, with him being able to take you down low or shoot from outside.  On defense he was a good defender in college, but will he be able to do the same in the NBA against quicker threes and taller fours?

Davis Bertans, 6'10, 210 lbs, 18 yrs, Latvia

• He's a point-forward with good size who is also an excellent shooter, so kind of like Hedo Turkoglu.  His biggest weaknesses are his lack of strength and defense, so kind of like Hedo Turkoglu.  Jonathan Givony reported it was probable Bertans would pull out of the NBA Draft by the June 13th deadline, which is unfortunate as he'd be a nice 2nd round prospect to stash for a year or two.

Jereme Richmond, 6'7, 210 lbs, 19 yrs, Freshman, Illinois

• A super athletic wing who likes to defend and rebound.  He's a poor ball handler and inconsistent shooter however, although as a freshman, he still has quite a bit of upside.  Most of his points when he does score come around the basket.

Chandler Parsons, 6'10, 220 lbs, 22 yrs, Senior, Florida

• SEC Player of the Year.  Jack-of-all-trades SF who can shoot, pass, handle and rebound.  He needs to add strength and get consistency on his outside shot though.  He's not a great defender, but he has the tools to become a good one if he puts his mind to it.

Jamine Peterson, 6'6, 230 lbs, 22 yrs, NBDL

• A Gerald Wallace type wing; He's a great athlete, good defender, and good rebounder for his size.  He's also an aggressive scorer, attacking the basket as well as showing off range on his jumper all the way to the three-point line.  He's pretty turnover prone however, and needs to work on being more unselfish when he has the ball.

Robin Benzing, 6'11, 210 lbs, 22 yrs, Germany

• A poor man's Kevin Durant without the crazy athleticism.  He can shoot and score in several ways, his size and height of his release making it hard to defend his shot, but he'll have a hard time stopping people on other end despite size.

Tomizlav Zubcic, 6'11, 210 lbs, 21 yrs, Croatia

• A tall, athletic shooter who can handle the ball as well.  He's a sieve on defense however, and despite his excellent skills, a bit turnover prone.  He has a contract internationally that lasts till 2014.  No word on buyout information, but he could be a good player to draft and keep overseas for a while.

Power Forwards:

Nikola Mirotic, 6'10, 210 lbs, 20 yrs, Serbia

• One of the best European prospects available.  This dude has a nice package of length, athleticism and skill.  He's primarily a face-up forward, being able to shoot from anywhere on the floor, but he has a bit of a post game as well.  I think he compares favorably to a guy like Ryan Anderson.  The only problem with Mirotic is a toxic buyout situation, so he probably won't come the NBA for at least two or three more years.  This buyout situation could also lead him to pulling out of this year's NBA draft.  If he stays though, he'd be a steal to grab at 35 and stash in Europe for a few years to develop even more.

Justin Harper, 6'9, 230 lbs, 21 yrs, Senior, Richmond

• A stretch forward that reminds me a bit of Al Harrington, with good athleticism and a reliable outside shot even from three, but a sub-par rebounder and poor defender.

JaJuan Johnson, 6'10, 220 lbs, 22 yrs, Senior, Purdue

• A long, athletic big man who can block shots, rebound and hit a mid-range jumper.  He's a bit on the skinny side though and needs to get stronger to play against the NBA competition.  He's a bit turnover prone and has very little low post game aside from putbacks.

Trey Thompkins, 6'10, 240 lbs, 21 yrs, Junior, Georgia

• A poor man's DeMarcus Cousins, but shorter; He's skilled around the basket, can handle the ball well for a big, has an outside shot, and is an excellent rebounder.  On the flip side, his conditioning isn't great and he's a bit slow.

Jon Leuer, 6'11, 225 lbs, 22 yrs, Senior, Wisconsin

• Another tall big man who plays like a guard.  He's a sub-par rebounder but a good shooter.  A slightly taller, worse rebounding, less strong version of David Andersen? 

Malcolm Thomas, 6'9, 225 lbs, 22 yrs, Senior, SDSU

• A long, athletic shot blocker and rebounder.  Overall good defender, but a bit undersized, and definitely too skinny for the NBA at this point in time.  He also has no jumper to speak of, with most of his points coming from cleaning up around the basket.

Joffrey Lauvergne, 6'10, 240 lbs, 19 yrs, France

• Not gonna lie, haven't seen this guy play at all.  But from reading scouting reports, he seems a bit like a poor man's Alexis Ajinca (i.e. a very long, skinny, finesse big man). 

Jamie Skeen, 6'8, 240 lbs, 23 yrs, Senior, VCU

• A Paul Millsap type Forward who is a bit undersized, but can still take it inside or outside.  Not a great defender or rebounder however, and he has had knee problems already, which is worrisome, especially since he isn't all that athletic to begin with.

Centers:

Lucas Nogueira, 7'0, 230 lbs, 18 yrs, Brazil

• A younger Hassan Whiteside with an afro and better motor.  Probably not going to be available at 35.

Jeremy Tyler, 6'11, 260 lbs, 19 yrs, Tokyo/Israel

• He's a physical specimen, with great size, length and athleticism.  He's also pretty skilled.  His biggest problems are mostly mental.  He left High School after his Junior year to go play in Israel where he failed miserably.  He bounced back a bit last year playing in Japan, but he didn't set the world on fire either, averaging just 9.9 PPG and 6.4 RPG in an inferior league.

Keith Benson, 6'11, 220 lbs, 22 yrs, Senior, Oakland

• A long, athletic big man, who can hit a mid-range jumper and is an alright rebounder, but is way too skinny, turnover prone, and can't defend other PFs or Cs.  Benson is basically Mikki Moore with range on his jumper.

Jordan Williams, 6'9, 250 lbs, 20 yrs, Sophomore, Maryland

• Very big and strong, with a good touch around the basket, and an excellent rebounder on both ends of the floor.  He's slow and unathletic however, as well as undersized for his position.  He also doesn't have much of an offensive game outside of the paint, and is a very poor FT shooter.

Greg Smith, 6'10, 250 lbs, 20 yrs, Sophomore, Fresno St.

• Has hands bigger than your torso, and good size, strength and athleticism to boot.  He already has a NBA body.  His post-game is solid, but not great, and he can't score from anywhere else really.  He failed to really stand out at a small school in Fresno St. and will get drafted on potential and physical gifts alone.  He's a project, kind of like Daniel Orton was last year.