Good 2nd Round Picks:

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#1
There are some players that will in all likelyhood be 2nd round picks, that could end up being better than some of the 1st round picks. Actually, after around the 13th or 14th pick, a lot of the players are interchangeable in ability. If might come down to a matter of fit for a lot of teams. Anyway, these are some of my favorites.


Jake Layman: PF/SF, 6'9", 220 lbs, Maryland.
31.4 mpg, 11.6 ppg, 50.0% fgp, 40.0% 3pp, 5.2 rpg, 1.1 spg, 1.0 bpg

Layman is one of my favorite players. He's a terrific athlete who can play above the rim. He's an excellent 3 pt shooter with a quick, high, relaxed stroke. At Maryland he has played both SF and PF. He was mostly at SF this last season with the transfer to Maryland of Robert Carter, who is a PF. Layman came to Maryland four years ago at 6'8" and weighing around 190 lbs. So he's added around 30 pounds of muscle and supposedly grew an inch.

He's played as the third or fourth option his entire time at Maryland, but I think he can be better than that. As well as being a good outside shooter, he's a pretty good post player, especially when he's being guarded by a SF, since he's taller and stronger than most. He'll remind you a bit of Omri Casspi with some of his slashes to the basket. One place where he really shines is on the defensive side of the ball. He has excellent lateral quickness, and he'll block his share of shots as well. He was able to guard three positions at Maryland at times.

His weaknesses are ball handling, an area where he needs to improve if he's to play SF in the NBA. And, he needs to improve his rebounding as well. There's no reason he can't rebound better with the tools he has. My last complaint is that he tends to disappear from games at times. Not sure of the reason. He reminds me a bit of Chandler Parsons at Florida. Parsons was always the 3rd or 4th banana on that team, but when he got to the NBA, he was able to show off all of his ability. I think Layman could do the same. Here's a video of him.


 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#3
I think Villanova's Josh Hart is being underrated. DraftExpress even has him going undrafted but I think he's the kind of guy that could carve out a long career as a role player in the NBA.
I agree! He's on my list that I'm going to post. There are several players that could get taken in the 2nd round that could surprise a lot of people.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#4
Jarrod Uthoff: PF/SF, 6'9.5", 220 lbs, 6'10" wingspan, Iowa.
31.5 mpg, 18.9 ppg, 44.8% fgp, 38.2% 3pp, 6.3 rpg, 2.6 bpg.

Jarrod is another player flying under the radar. At first glance, he doesn't like like a basketball player, except for his height. He looks like a good stiff wind would blow him over. He's listed at 220 pounds, but I don't believe it. However, he plays like he weighs that much. He's a very good shooter all the way out to three point range. Actually, something like 80% of all his shots are jumpshots. His problem around the basket is lack of strength. While he's not an elite athlete, he's an above average athlete. I wouldn't call him an above the rim player, but he can easily dunk the ball with two hands under the basket. He needs to improve his ballhandling if he's to play any SF. Most of his drives to the basket are straight line drives. He won't dazzle you with any shot creating ballhandling, but does survive with ball fakes and one dribble shots. As a spot up shooter, he's very deadly.

He's actually not a bad rebounder averaging 6.3 boards a game, and he's a terrific shotblocker averaging 2.6 a game. Whether he can sustain that at the next level is anyone's guess, but with some added strength and some time to develop, a team might have a very solid off the bench contributor. While his end to end speed is just average, he's very good at keeping his man in front of him on the perimeter. He also plays with some attitude, which I like. Here's a short video.


 
#5
Layman cannot change directions while dribbling, not a good passer, can shoot and defend some. To me he's SF version of Mclemore.

8 rebs per 40 minutes is bad for a college PF, who is about to turn 23 y.o.. Uthoff can definitely shoot, but does not have good dribbling or passing. Looking at closeups of him he has a very good muscle definition, so he's definitely spending time in the weight room, so Uthoff will probably spend his pro career with the same body as he is about to start it with like John Henson, nothing he can do about genetics.
 
#6
Layman cannot change directions while dribbling, not a good passer, can shoot and defend some. To me he's SF version of Mclemore.

8 rebs per 40 minutes is bad for a college PF, who is about to turn 23 y.o.. Uthoff can definitely shoot, but does not have good dribbling or passing. Looking at closeups of him he has a very good muscle definition, so he's definitely spending time in the weight room, so Uthoff will probably spend his pro career with the same body as he is about to start it with like John Henson, nothing he can do about genetics.
Hey! That's an insult to Ben. Layman's rebounding is pathetic for a guy his size, but I think he'd be a perfect 3&D candidate. He reminds me of Trevor Ariza. A real lengthy 3&D player....if we can get him in the 2nd round (trade?), it'll be a real steal.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#7
Hey! That's an insult to Ben. Layman's rebounding is pathetic for a guy his size, but I think he'd be a perfect 3&D candidate. He reminds me of Trevor Ariza. A real lengthy 3&D player....if we can get him in the 2nd round (trade?), it'll be a real steal.
I think I mentioned that Layman needs to improve in the rebounding dept. I heard all the same comments about Parsons. I alwasys felt that once he got into the NBA where he had a chance to show what he could do, he would shine, and I was right. I feel the same way about Layman. Rmember, were talking about a 2nd round pick. There's a reason these guys are projected as 2nd round picks. I suspect that Gilles is right about Uthoff's body. He just looks like one of those guys that will never fill out, but that it won't matter. Despite the way he looks, he's a very good rebounder. The difference between Uthoff and Layman probably comes down to the fire in their belly.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#8
A.J. Hammons: Center, 7'0", 270 lbs, 7'3" wingspan, Purdue.
24.6 mpg, 15.0 ppg, 59.2% fgp, 59.4% 2pp, 54.5% 3pp, 8.2 rpg, 2.5 bpg.

Hammons should be, and may well turn out to be the best center in this draft. Without a doubt, skill wise, he is the best center in the draft. Why you ask is he a 2nd round pick? Well, for one thing, he turns 24 years of age in august, and secondly, although he's very talented, he doesn't always use, or apply those talents. Some scouts question whether he loves basketball. They wonder if he plays it because he's good at it, but doesn't have the intensity of a player that loves the game. Don't know, but time will tell. When focused, there's not much he can't do. He has a hook shot with either hand. He has every drop step in the book at his disposal. He can just overpower smaller players, but is still very effective against players his own size, or bigger. When engaged and focused! He has a very good jump shot effective all the way out to three point range. He shot 59.4% on two point shots, and a lot of them were jumpers. Don't get too excited by his three point shot percentage. He didn't take enough of them for that number to be credible.

His rebounding numbers are decent, and once again, when engaged, he's a very good rebounder. He's an excellent defender around the basket. I wouldn't say he's an above the rim player, but he has decent hops for a 270 pounder, and has very good timing when it comes to blocking shots, averaging 2.5 a game. He becomes a little more vulnerable out away from the basket when trying to guard a quick PF or SF. There are games where you sit amazed by how skilled he is, and then there are those games where he seems to disappear. Some of it is not getting the ball, and some if it seems to be disinterest. The fact that his best games are all against the best competition seems to reinforce the latter. Maybe once in the NBA and up against top competition every night, he'll bring it every night. To his credit, his last season was his best. Here's a video.


 
#9
I think I mentioned that Layman needs to improve in the rebounding dept. I heard all the same comments about Parsons. I alwasys felt that once he got into the NBA where he had a chance to show what he could do, he would shine, and I was right. I feel the same way about Layman. Remember, were talking about a 2nd round pick. There's a reason these guys are projected as 2nd round picks. I suspect that Gilles is right about Uthoff's body. He just looks like one of those guys that will never fill out, but that it won't matter. Despite the way he looks, he's a very good rebounder. The difference between Uthoff and Layman probably comes down to the fire in their belly.
When Layman will be able to pull this off
or this at 1:25
he can be considered a major sleeper. Parsons never scored more than 16 points per 40 minutes and also had shot .611 from FT during his Florida career and that's over the span of 401 attempts, plus his underwhelming jumping tests at the Combine (teams should have been watching the tape though), so many doubted, that he can shoot. But he had excellent 4.4 assists per 40 minutes on similarly excellent 1.6 A/TO ratio. Videos showed he can actually dribble in traffic and last couple of stats confirmed, that he's an excellent passer. To become a top-3 offensive option for NBA team a player must either be very good at scoring on the move (be it shooting off the dribble or driving and shooting at the rim) or very good at dribbling/passing for his position.
That's why I like Mccaw and Onuaku so much: Mccaw can score in a variety of ways on the move and Onuaku is looking good at dribbling/passing for a center.
P.S. BTW DX moved Mccaw 10 positions up to #25
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#10
When Layman will be able to pull this off
or this at 1:25
he can be considered a major sleeper. Parsons never scored more than 16 points per 40 minutes and also had shot .611 from FT during his Florida career and that's over the span of 401 attempts, plus his underwhelming jumping tests at the Combine (teams should have been watching the tape though), so many doubted, that he can shoot. But he had excellent 4.4 assists per 40 minutes on similarly excellent 1.6 A/TO ratio. Videos showed he can actually dribble in traffic and last couple of stats confirmed, that he's an excellent passer. To become a top-3 offensive option for NBA team a player must either be very good at scoring on the move (be it shooting off the dribble or driving and shooting at the rim) or very good at dribbling/passing for his position.
That's why I like Mccaw and Onuaku so much: Mccaw can score in a variety of ways on the move and Onuaku is looking good at dribbling/passing for a center.
P.S. BTW DX moved Mccaw 10 positions up to #25
I doubt that I ever looked at Parsons stats more than once when he played at Florida. But I saw him play well over 20 times. Actually, I didn't start watching Florida to see Parsons, but got intrigued by the little things he did that didn't show up on the stat sheet. He had his little moments here and there, and if you saw him play enough, you began to recognize that you wern't seeing the whole package. I desperately wanted the Kings to grab him with their 2nd round pick, and he was sitting right there for the taking. Alas they didn't. I'm not a stat guy Gilles. I watch players play, and I have to see them play a lot to get the whole picture. You can watch one game by a player, but you might be watching the best game of his career, or the worse game of his career. Watch 20 games, and you have a much better idea. Watch him play for three years, and it's rare to get fooled.
 
#13
here a just a few names I would like to mention that I could see becoming rotation players down the road. I also included a link to their draftexpress profile.

Kay Felder. Undersized PG, similar to IT. Very athletic. Probably a better passer and defender than IT.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Kay-Felder-77928/

Prince Ibeh. 6'11 Center with a 7'55'' wing span. Defensive center. Athletic. Still raw.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Prince-Ibeh-6449/

Damion Lee. 6'6 SG/SF. Good but inconsistent shooter and defender. Turns 24 in October.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Damion-Lee-41216/
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#15
here a just a few names I would like to mention that I could see becoming rotation players down the road. I also included a link to their draftexpress profile.

Kay Felder. Undersized PG, similar to IT. Very athletic. Probably a better passer and defender than IT.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Kay-Felder-77928/

Prince Ibeh. 6'11 Center with a 7'55'' wing span. Defensive center. Athletic. Still raw.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Prince-Ibeh-6449/

Damion Lee. 6'6 SG/SF. Good but inconsistent shooter and defender. Turns 24 in October.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Damion-Lee-41216/
Yeah, all three of those guys will be 2nd round picks. Felder played really well at the combine. He really helped himself. He looks and plays like an Isaiah Thomas clone.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#16
Isaiah Whitehead: PG, 6'4.5", 210 lbs, 6'8.75" wingspan, 35.5" max vertical, Seton Hall.
32.3 mpg, 18.2 ppg, 37.9% fgp, 36.5% 3pp, 5.1 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.4 bpg.

Whitehead, a sophmore last season had a terrible freshman year. Rumors are that there was a lack of chemistry in the locker room, and some of the Seton Hall players transfered after the season. Whitehead also suffered an injury his freshman year which shortened his season. Last season he came back and proved he could play the PG position. If there is a major knock on him last season it was his lack of consistency, and in some areas, his efficiency. While he put up solid numbers shooting the three, his overall shooting percentage left something to be desired.

I attribute most of it to taking bad shots, off balance shots, in traffic, and not finishing well at the basket. He needs to improve his shot selection, and he needs to get stronger. He's a good passer, but once again, he needs to improve his decision making. He turned the ball over too much for my liking, but you can see the potential that he has. He see's passes that other can't see, and unfortunately he also see's passes that aren't there. These are all things that are fixable with hard work and experience.

While Whitehead doesn't leap out at you with his athleticism, he is a solid to good defender with good lateral quickness. He blocked an outstanding 1.4 shots last season, something you don't see from a PG. He also got his share of steals at 1.2 a game. He's been referred to as a poor man's Kris Dunn, and he played Dunn even in two matchups last season. I think I should mention that Whitehead has yet to sign with an agent, so it's possible that he goes back to Seton Hall for his junior year. Here's a short video of him.


 
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bajaden

Hall of Famer
#17
Josh Hart: SG, 6'5.5", 204 lbs, 6'8.5" wingspan, 38" max vertical, Villanova.
31.4 mpg, 15.5 ppg, 51.3% fgp, 35.7% 3pp, 6.8 rpg, 1.2 spg, 1.9 apg.

Josh was one of the key player on the championship Villanova team. He's a good, but not great athlete, with good length for the SG position. To be honest, I'm not sure why he's not ranked higher. If he has a major problem, its that he's too unselfish. He's a player that you don't notice that much during the game, but at the end of the game he has his 15 points and 7 rebounds. Even though he a good outside shooter, he gets a lot of his baskets on run outs in transition or by attacking the basket. I wouldn't call him a great ball handler, but it's not a liability either. There were times when I wished he was a little more aggressive. I question whether Josh can ever be a starter in the NBA, but he does have a skill that translates well, and that's on the defensive side. He can at times defend all three perimeter positions depending on the matchups. He's smart, plays the passing lanes well, and is a tough on ball defender. He's also an excellent off the ball defender, a skill a lot of players lack. Lastly, he's an outstanding rebounder for his size. Here's a short video of him.


 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#18
DeAndre Bembry: SG, 6'5.75", 207 lbs, 6'9.25" wingspan, 38.0" max vertical, St. Joesphs.
37.3 mpg, 17.4 ppg, 47.9% fgp, 26.6% 3pp, 7.8 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.4 spg.

I really like Bembry. He's one of those glue guys that does a lot of the little things that help you win. He's an excellent passer and play maker averaging 4.5 assists from the SG position. He also played the SF position as well. He has good length for the position. His handles are good, but not elite. He knows how to play the game. He's good at attacking the basket and finishing, or dishing. He's a very good rebounder for a SG averaging 7.8 a game. I wouldn't call him an elite athlete, but he a very good athlete with upside. He has a lot of the same attributes that Jimmy Butler had when he came out of college. Unfortunately, like Butler at the time, he's been a poor outside shooter as you can see by his 26.6% average from the three. His forum isn't that bad, so there's hope. Like Butler, he's a good defender with good lateral quickness, and excellent instincts. To his credit, he knew he wasn't a good three point shooter, so he didn't take very many. To be honest, although I have him 2nd round prospects, I think someone will take him at the bottom of the first round. But it's hard to predict these things. He said he's been working hard on his shot, and here's a video to prove it.


 
#21
Would love to get Felder.... He's gonna play twenty something minutes a game as the first guard off the bench for a long time I think.
Felder would be nice, but the Kings would need to trade for an early 2nd round pick to get him, trade with Boston maybe?
 
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bajaden

Hall of Famer
#22
Felder would be nice, but the Kings would need to trade for an early 2nd round pick to get him, trade with Boston maybe?
Actually, most 2nd round picks are acquired by buying them. And I'm sure there are some for sale. The Celtics for instance have five 2nd round picks. There's no way in hell that they use all five. As much as I might like Felder, there are some other players that will be available at the top of the 2nd round that I would love to have. There's a little bit of misconception about this draft. It's been called a weak draft, and that's true, but only at the top of the draft. Usually in a strong draft, you'll have five or six guys at the top that all appear to be can't miss player. Potential stars.

This draft only has two such players, and both of them have some obvious flaws they need to overcome. However, when you get to the second tier players, this is deep draft that goes half way through the 2nd round. So there are some potential rotation players to be gotten. And of course, there will be a star or two that will emerge from there as well. My gut tells me that the Kings will make some draft day deals that will include acquiring additional picks. The beauty of 2nd round picks is that you can sign them to almost any kind of deal you want. You can tie them up for four years if your so inclined, and at a very reasonable price.
 
#23
Actually, most 2nd round picks are acquired by buying them. And I'm sure there are some for sale. The Celtics for instance have five 2nd round picks. There's no way in hell that they use all five. As much as I might like Felder, there are some other players that will be available at the top of the 2nd round that I would love to have. There's a little bit of misconception about this draft. It's been called a weak draft, and that's true, but only at the top of the draft. Usually in a strong draft, you'll have five or six guys at the top that all appear to be can't miss player. Potential stars.

This draft only has two such players, and both of them have some obvious flaws they need to overcome. However, when you get to the second tier players, this is deep draft that goes half way through the 2nd round. So there are some potential rotation players to be gotten. And of course, there will be a star or two that will emerge from there as well. My gut tells me that the Kings will make some draft day deals that will include acquiring additional picks. The beauty of 2nd round picks is that you can sign them to almost any kind of deal you want. You can tie them up for four years if your so inclined, and at a very reasonable price.
What would you say would be the going rate to buy an early 2nd round pick?

There are a few gems that I think can be found in the 2nd round this year.

Let's hope Vlade buys 1 or 2 picks to fill out the roster, Boston and Philly have a lot of picks.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#24
What would you say would be the going rate to buy an early 2nd round pick?

There are a few gems that I think can be found in the 2nd round this year.

Let's hope Vlade buys 1 or 2 picks to fill out the roster, Boston and Philly have a lot of picks.
last year the going rate for a 2nd round pick was around 1.5 mil. According to some reports that I've read, the price, with the cap going up, is likely to be higher. The thinking is around 3 mil. But hey, if you can acquire a player that can contribute, and get him signed for very reasonable salary for 3 or 4 years, you come out ahead financially in the long run. You just need to do your homework.
 
#25
last year the going rate for a 2nd round pick was around 1.5 mil. According to some reports that I've read, the price, with the cap going up, is likely to be higher. The thinking is around 3 mil. But hey, if you can acquire a player that can contribute, and get him signed for very reasonable salary for 3 or 4 years, you come out ahead financially in the long run. You just need to do your homework.
With the cap going up, I would think the cost to buy a pick would go down or stay the same, because teams will have cap space to sign proven players, instead of gambling on a 2nd round pick.

Either way, I hope vlade buys at least one early 2nd round pick :cool:
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
#26
last year the going rate for a 2nd round pick was around 1.5 mil. According to some reports that I've read, the price, with the cap going up, is likely to be higher. The thinking is around 3 mil. But hey, if you can acquire a player that can contribute, and get him signed for very reasonable salary for 3 or 4 years, you come out ahead financially in the long run. You just need to do your homework.
This year $3.4M is the maximum amount of cash that a team can add into trades, sum total, for the year. So that's your absolute max value to buy a pick, and if a team wants to buy more than one, they obviously have to go with quite a bit less.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#28
With the cap going up, I would think the cost to buy a pick would go down or stay the same, because teams will have cap space to sign proven players, instead of gambling on a 2nd round pick.

Either way, I hope vlade buys at least one early 2nd round pick :cool:
It would nice if that were true, and to be honest, I don't know what the price will be. I'm only reporting what I read, and what I read is that teams are valuing 2nd round pick more now than ever, and therefore the price is likely to go up. Remember, what you pay for a 2nd round pick has no effect on a teams capspace. So if you can acqire a player and sign him starting at the league minimum for three or four years, and have the last two years a team option, that's a good deal for the team if the player develops. And financially it's not as big a gamble as signing a player like Belinelli for three years at 6 mil a year.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#29
Pretty cool, "just for fun" combine video released by the NBA:

Two guys that I would love on the Kings out of the mix are Isaiah Whitehead, and DeAndre Bembry. I especially like Whitehead for the Kings. He's a 6'4" PG that went up against Dunn twice last season, and more than held his own, if not outplayed Dunn in the second game. Write down his name because your going to be hearing it in the future.

Some of those guys shown didn't have good games, and probably hurt themselves a little. Carter played very well, but I think scouts already knew all they needed to know about him. Of course Felder stood out. Diallo surprised a lot of people with his motor, and more skills than we knew about.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#30
This year $3.4M is the maximum amount of cash that a team can add into trades, sum total, for the year. So that's your absolute max value to buy a pick, and if a team wants to buy more than one, they obviously have to go with quite a bit less.
You know, I read that and forgot it. Thanks for the reminder. At least we know there's a limit to how bad we can be screwed. :eek: