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NBA Draft: Five hidden gems in this year’s draft

By Jono Perilli

Jan 28, 2020; New York, New York, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward Saddiq Bey (41) dribbles up court during the first half against the St. John's Red Storm at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2020; New York, New York, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward Saddiq Bey (41) dribbles up court during the first half against the St. John's Red Storm at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /
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NBA draft (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
NBA draft (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

In the past, we’ve seen some absolute studs get drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft, and with the halted NCAA season, we could see some hidden gems.

Over the history of the NBA Draft, we’ve seen some All-Time NBA players get selected in the second round. Currently, we have someone like Nikola Jokic, who was selected in the second round back in 2014. Jokic has proved himself to be one of the best centers in the NBA as it stands, and he’s only getting better as the Denver Nuggets improve around him. All-Time, we’ve seen players such as Isaiah Thomas and Manu Ginobili prove themselves as worthy stars during their respective prime seasons.

A question that seems to pulse regarding the draft is, why weren’t these players selected earlier? Well, it comes down to some simple factors. Firstly, a lot of solid second-rounders are seniors in college, their stock isn’t as high because they don’t have a massive ceiling and their age may be a problem for a team that needs to rebuild with some youth.

Related Story. Mock Draft 3.0: Where will LaMelo Ball be selected?. light

Secondly, these players have outstanding question marks, especially height. Isaiah Thomas being selected late in the second round was due to him being a 5’9″ score-first point guard. That’s seen in this draft, we’ll talk about that later.

Finally, some second-round steals, hell, even undrafted steals, play for Division II schools, as seen with someone like Duncan Robinson, who played for a Division III school.

But with COVID-19 halting all NCAA play, the chances of steals late in this year’s draft are higher than ever before. Take Donte DiVincenzo, without his NCAA Final game back in 2018, he wouldn’t of been selected so highly in that year’s draft. We’ll more than likely see some gems in this year’s draft, more than ever before.

So let’s take a look at five hidden gems in this year’s draft, shall we?

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