Draymond Green. Isaiah Thomas. Paul Milsap. Marc Gasol. Manu Ginobili. What do all these players have in common? They were all drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft the year they entered the NBA. On Thursday, General Managers will hope to find a diamond in the rough like any these players during the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft.
While this year’s draft class is not extremely deep with star potential, it does have a good amount of players who can find roles and succeed in the NBA. The second round has players that, while they may never become superstars, they could develop into good NBA players who could make a difference on any team. Here are five potential second round draft picks who could be major sleepers.
2017 NBA Draft 2nd Round Sleepers
Edmond Sumner- PG
If it wasn’t for a season-ending ACL tear in January, Edmond Sumner would most definitely be a first round pick. He possesses a load of NBA skills right of the bat, with his scoring ability trumping all others. While Sumner is still an inefficient shooter and will need to improve from there to reach his potential, he is able to get to the basket and did a good job drawing fouls as well. He has great physical attributes, as he measured in an about 6’6″ at the NBA Combine and was known prior to the injury for his speed and athleticism. While the injury he suffered is scary, Dennis Smith Jr, a projected top-10 pick in the draft suffered the same injury going into his freshman year at NC State. He went on to have a great year where he flashed supreme athleticism.
Sumner is going to get stolen somewhere, and it would not be a shock if he is snagged before the area he is projected to go in. DraftExpress has him being taken by the Houston Rockets with the 45th pick and Tankathon has him going one pick later to the 76ers.
Cameron Oliver- PF
Speaking of athleticism, let’s talk about Cam Oliver out of Nevada. Well actually let’s just watch.
Yeah, he’s pretty athletic. Oliver’s elite athleticism helps make up for him being undersized, as he stands at just 6’8″. He also can spread the floor, which makes his size shortcomings less noticeable. He shot 38.4 percent from the three-point line last season. He averaged 16 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Oliver has solid rim protection skills due to his athleticism and wingspan. Last year he blocked 2.6 shots per contest.
Oliver has solid rim protection skills due to his athleticism and wingspan. Last year he blocked 2.6 shots per contest. He’s somewhat raw defensively, and some people have questioned his motor, but all the physical tools are there for him. Between all of these prospects, the right situation will matter the most for Oliver. He is a good player but needs a good coaching staff to help clean up the underdeveloped aspects of his game.
Oliver is fast, tough, athletic, and offensively versatile. Somewhere, he will fit right in.
Frank Mason- PG
I could not have done this list without including Frank Mason out of Kansas. While he has become a favorite to be a sleeper in the draft, it is rightfully so. We know one thing for sure about Mason, he is a winner. He won 90 games in his four seasons as a Jayhawk. The 2017 Naismith Player of the Year winner averaged 20.9 points per game last season on 50 percent from inside the arc and 47.1 percent from outside the arc.
Mason likely is not going to be a scorer who hits 15 points per game in the NBA, but he will be a great distributor right away. He averaged 5.2 assists per game while only committing 2.4 turnovers per game. Mason is super smart with the basketball, which teams will value when looking for a backup point guard.
Mason is a leader, winner, and downright good basketball player and should be a player a team takes a shot on in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Jawun Evans- PG
Like Mason, Evans is an undersized point guard, but don’t let his size fool you. Evans was extremely good at Oklahoma State. He averaged 19 points but was less efficient than Mason. He shot 37.6 percent from deep, still a very respectable percentage.
Evans will fit in well with any team that runs a pick and roll heavy offense. He is able to take the ball inside and has the playmaking skills to set up plays for his teammates.
Much like Sumner, Evans will need to better himself as a shooter. That is his biggest shortcoming right now. If he is able to develop a more consistent jumper, then Evans could be trouble in the NBA.
Kyle Kuzma- PF
If you’re looking for a stretch four, look no further than Kyle Kuzma.
From Julian Applebome of DraftExpress:
The biggest key to unlocking Kuzma’s potential at the NBA level will be continuing to improve on his perimeter shooting and turning himself into a consistent stretch-four threat. As a junior, he shot 32.1% from deep on 3.7 attempts per game overall but found more consistency as the year went on, converting on 40.7% of his 3 point attempts over the last ten games of the season. He shoots an easy ball with nice rotation and has the size to get his shot off in contested situations, as he demonstrated at the NBA Combine in front of hundreds of decision makers, going 4-5 for 3 in just 23 minutes of action.
Kuzma has good size for a stretch four, standing at nearly 6’10”. He is a proven scorer and seems to have an improving jumper. He should be a nice pick and pop player right away, as he is a good catch-and-shoot shooter. His game is similar to projected first round pick DJ Wilson. Both are raw, but their stretch four capabilities and offensive versatility give them instant NBA value.
He will need to improve defensively, as he is often knocked for being too weak inside. Nonetheless, Kuzma has a skill set that should translate to the NBA, one that should keep him in the league for a long time.
