Michael Redd. Carlos Boozer. Gilbert Arenas. Dennis Rodman. Manu Ginobili.
Guys fall through to the second round that can ball. Guys like those above. History tells us most of the guys drafted in the second round Thursday will get a shot in the NBA, only 10 or so will stick, but one or two will be steals. Some GM is going to take the right risk.
Here are the guys you want to see your team take in the second round.
Ryan Richards: If I have one NBA Draft rule, it’s don’t take a British teenager. But there has to be an exception to every rule. He is a 6'10" bundle of raw, but with great athleticism and a smooth jumper. To me the second round should be about risks. This is the kind of guy you draft then send to the D-League for a year or two. Get him some personal coaching. He hasn’t found a home in Europe and may be a guy who is a good athlete but has no feel for the game. The playgrounds of Kent don’t teach you that. But he also could learn and turn out to be special. He’s worth the risk after pick 40. --Kurt Helin
Samardo Samuels: Samuels has a terrific set of fundamentals (footwork, awareness, etc.) but is a 6-8 PF/C. He’s the very definition of undersized. But in the second round you can handle the risk on kids that can “just play.” Samuels is a smart acquisition for a team with some house money in the second. --Matt Moore
Brian Zoubek: In the second round, I’m an Occam’s Razor guy. Too many teams try to get way, way too cute with their second-round picks. If you can easily picture a second-round pick being an NBA rotation player for the next couple of years, he’s worthy of a second-round pick.
I can picture Zoubek being an NBA rotation player. He was the center on an NCAA Championship, he’s played under pressure at Duke, he’s played under Coach K, and he knows his role. Zoubek was the best per-minute offensive rebounder in college basketball last season, and his True Shooting Percentage was at 64%. Is he going to be the next Manu Ginobili or Carlos Boozer? Almost certainly not. But he could be a 7-foot version of Jon Brockman. In the second round, a team could do a lot worse than a 7-foot version of Jon Brockman. --John Krolik
Mikhail Torrance: Maybe it’s just my affinity for big point guards, but I see a 6'5'’ playmaker and go weak in the knees. Not only does Torrance’s size afford him some advantages at the point, but I’m very interested in seeing what having a 6'5'’ PG means on defense. Mikhail isn’t seen as a defensive standout, but having a point with off-guard size means that a team can do some interesting things with undersized shooting guards. Maybe that’s just me being whimsical, but either way, Mikhail is a legitimate point guard with some flash. --Rob Mahoney