The 2021 NBA Draft class could well go down in history as one of the best of all time.
It would not be at all surprising to see multiple members of the class go on and play in at least one All-Star game, such was the overall quality of the players selected.
All of the top five picks have a great opportunity of achieving greatness, but what is equally as intriguing is the number of potentially high-quality talent selected later in the first round and in the second round.
This draft didn’t just have quality at the very top, it was also extremely deep. There does not appear to be a huge gulf in class between those taken towards the end of the lottery and some of those taken later in the first round.
The 2021 NBA Draft has the potential to be historic, not just because of the players at the top but also those that fell further down the order.
And while Summer League is hardly an accurate representation of the regular season, it nonetheless has offered some hugely encouraging signs when it comes to some of those that fell outside of the lottery.
A few teams hopeful of contending next season were seemingly able to add excellent young talent to their rosters that will provide value off the bench to start with, and quite possibly more in the future.
But among all the players selected in the draft, these five stand out as those that could surprise plenty of people next season and in the years to come by outperforming where they were selected…