4 Players To Target in the Second Round
By Owen Nelson
The Philadelphia 76ers currently have the 36th, 39th, 46th and the 50th in the second round of this years draft. Here’s four players who the 76ers should look at.
In recent years the Philadelphia 76ers have found much success when dipping into the second round to find valuable role players. Richaun Holmes, K.J. McDaniels, Jermai Grant, Willy Hernangomez (traded to the Knicks). This proves that every year you will be able to find talent at the back of the draft. This draft certainly doesn’t lack talent late on.
Josh Hart – Villanova
I can see Villanova guard, Josh Hart, having a similar impact as Bucks guard, Malcolm Brogdon if he lands in the right situation and gets consistent playing time. If the Philadelphia 76ers drafts Hart it would be killing two birds with one stone; Hart offers great perimeter shooting as well as great perimeter defence.
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The Big East Player of the Year is one of the most talented players in all of college basketball, but being a senior his stock is far below from where it should be; this is another similarity to Malcolm Brogdon. On top of this, Brogdon won the ACC Player of the Year in his last year at Virginia. Furthermore, the two guards put up almost identical numbers and shooting percentages; its actually strange.
The 76ers would be a good fit for Hart because he would be able to split time with Timothe Luwawu-Cabarott and Furkan Korkmaz, if he comes over. It would be an exciting shooting guard rotation, all of them possessing the right skills to play alongside Ben Simmons. I would think Hart would get picked in the early second round, hopefully he will be still be on the board when the 76ers pick 36th.
Hamidou Diallo – Kentucky
Its not shock to see Hamidou Diallo testing the NBA Draft, but I fully expect him to return to Kentucky if he isn’t a surefire first round pick. Next year, if he lives up to the hype, he could full well be a top 10 pick in what looks to be a relatively weak draft in terms of depth, and playing under Hall of Fame coach John Calipari is something not many can experience.
If Diallo does decide to keep his name in the draft and falls into the second round he is definitely a player I can see the 76ers targeting. Diallo is an uber explosive shooting guard, he rocks the arena when on the breakaway. One concern is his struggle with hitting consistently from behind the arc. It is something he will have to work on, but competition with Timothe Luwawu-Cabarott may be enough to raise his game to the next level.
This could be a similar situation the Thon Maker in the 2016 draft, analysts were mocking him in the late first, early second round region but he shockingly got picked at number 10 overall, the Bucks drafted him solely off of his upside, the same could happen with Diallo.
Frank Mason III – Kansas
Kansas guard, Frank Mason III is another player who’s draft stock is far from where it should be just because he is a senior and sub-six-foot. Mason was the best player in all of college basketball last season, he has the talent to be the steal of the draft. Theres two cases that prove Mason will be a valuable player in the league:
- Tyler Ulis dropped down the draft because of his height, despite being the top point guard prospect for some heading into the draft. I’m sure everyone knew he would be a hit in the league, GMs may have been scared to draft due to his small stature.
- Isaiah Thomas is pretty good, isn’t he? IT4 was another player who’s draft stock stayed criminally low. Despite averaging 16.4 points throughout his career and leading the poor Washington Huskies to the Sweet 16 where they controversially lost by three to UNC.
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My point is everyone knows how talented these small guards were coming into the league, they both have made immediate impacts as well, but because of their height teams shied away from them. Mason is obviously very talented, this season he won the Pac 12 Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year, John R. Wooden Award and Naismith Player of the Year. The 76ers should definitely give him a chance since they passed on Tyler Ulis in last years draft.
Marcus Keene – Central Michigan
Central Michigan guard, Marcus Keene, is another undersized player who can score as much as he wants. He was the most enjoyable player to watch last season, he simply tore apart every team he faced. After transferring from Youngstown State, Keene elevated his game to the next level, and some. He went from averaging 15.6 points in the Horizon Conference to 30.0 points in the Mid-American Conference.
Admittedly he did not go up against the best players but neither did Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum and they’ve had very good careers. There are only two players currently in the NBA who played college ball in the MAC, Maurice Ndour and 76ers power forward, Richaun Holmes. Holmes was a second round choice for the 76ers in 2014 and he has surpassed all expectations.
The zero-star recruit surpassed 40 points seven times throughout the season, his season high was an incredible 50 points against Miami (OH), he shot a ridiculous 10 of 15 from three that game. Its likely that Keene will go undrafted should he keep his name in the draft, but instead of risking him joining another team, the 76ers should snap him up with the 50th pick. Even if he plays in the D-League for his first year, his scoring and sooting capabilities could come in crucial down the line.
Ultimately, there are many options for the 76ers to go down in the 2017 NBA Draft. I think selecting guards will be the main aim. The four options should all be in play for when the 76ers are on the clock this summer.