Although one could argue that the talent level in this draft drops drastically after the first handful of picks, there was still some value in the second round. Obviously, it’s more likely that these guys don’t crack NBA rotations, but some will inevitably work their way into meaningful minutes. This is typically somewhat of a crapshoot, but let’s see some guys who could carve out roles for themselves…
The Hornets drafting Sion James and Ryan Kalkbrenner further solidifies their attempted cultural shift from young, immature players to professional veterans in the locker room. While there’s no real indicator that either guy will log heavy minutes, this team needs all the help they can get. Adding those pieces to Kon Knueppel and Liam McNeely actually gives Charlotte an above-average draft class for the first time in a long time.
Players like Chaz Lanier (Detroit), Alijah Martin (Toronto), and Koby Brea (Phoenix) were each drafted to situations where they could find minutes. Lanier is a shooter with size who could add a nice wrinkle to a Pistons squad that fell around the bottom half of the league in three-point makes, attempts, and percentage. Martin lacks shooting but is the type of tough, physical, high-motor athlete that tends to find success in the NBA. Going to a team that carved out minutes for Jamal Shead should be an encouraging sign for Martin. The Suns need all the help they can possibly get, and Brea has a high floor as a guy who can knock down jumpers at a high clip. He could be a nice role piece alongside Devin Booker for years to come.
The Cavs drafting Tyrese Proctor probably doesn’t mean much for the immediate future, but a very solid two-way piece like him could feasibly give Cleveland the flexibility to get rid of a more expensive backcourt piece. His malleable game isn’t going to pop off the page, but he is impactful enough to play alongside a variety of different players.