NBA Draft: Neemias Queta and four other second-round sleepers

The 2021 NBA Draft is fast approaching, and NBA teams will try to leverage their draft capital to add a difference-maker from among the many prospects. After one of the most tumultuous draft cycles in basketball history due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is even more uncertainty than usual heading into the draft.

A few players are a lock to go high in the first round, but towards the back end of the lottery, things become very muddled. Players have a draft range of 8-30 in some cases depending on how the board falls. Some players will be the beneficiaries and go early, but others will fall and good players could slip into the second round.

The second round of the NBA draft can be the perfect place to find a diamond in the rough. Who is Neemias Queta and what other sleepers are out there?

Nikola Jokic just won the league’s Most Valuable Player award after going in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft. Khris Middleton was a second-round pick and just helped win a title in Milwaukee. On a lower tier, second-round picks have become solid starters and contributed to winning teams, players such as P.J. Tucker, Danny Green and Jae Crowder all starting for NBA Finals teams the past two years.

Taking a low-cost swing or two in the second round can be a way to add inexpensive players to a roster and capture their upside if they do turn out. If they don’t, then the investment wasn’t overwhelming. Keeping the modern NBA in mind, who are five players likely to go in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft that could turn into long-term starters?