50. Elijah Hughes, wing, Syracuse
A solid athlete at 6-foot-6, Hughes provides ample versatility on the wing. He can do a little bit of everything, and while his lack of specialization is detrimental to a degree, the more boxes NBA wings can check, the better. A swing skill is defense. Syracuse’s zone is tricky.
49. Skylar Mays, guard, LSU
A smooth scorer with upside as a secondary playmaker, Mays should find success in the NBA’s increasingly guard-oriented landscape. He lacks athleticism and size, but the skill level and basketball I.Q. are promising.
48. Ashton Hagans, guard, Kentucky
He will need to improve offensively to stick at the next level, but Hagans is a marvel on defense. He gets after every possession, he is never deterred on the ball, and he takes pride in muddying up the game for opposing point guards. He’s a winner and should win over front offices as a result.
47. Yam Madar, guard, Hapoel Tel Aviv
I have read the T.J. McConnell comparison for Madar. He’s scrappy, smart, and entirely unselfish. He has all the intangibles of a backup point guard in the NBA, even if his lack of a consistent jumper is worrisome. He’s another point guard with a winner’s mentality.
46. Vernon Carey Jr., big, Duke
A gifted interior scorer who put up big numbers at Duke, Carey won’t have any problem finishing around the rim or getting face-up buckets in the NBA. Like many centers listed before him, the concern is defense. Can he defend in space? If so, he probably has a career.
45. Zeke Nnaji, big, Arizona
A fluid, bouncy athlete at 6-foot-11, Nnaji has the base appeal of a modern NBA five. He’s a vertical spacer who finishes efficiently at the rim, runs the floor, and defends adequately in space. The next step is expanding his repertoire on offense.
44. Payton Pritchard, guard, Oregon
A spunky shot-maker with no shortage in confidence, Pritchard has the hallmarks of a solid backup point guard. He’s undersized and isn’t much of an athlete, but he competes hard on defense, is good enough as a facilitator, and should have no trouble spacing the floor in the NBA.
43. Cassius Stanley, wing, Duke
Stanley is a former five-star recruit who surprised many by coming along as quickly as he did at Duke, Stanley still isn’t a first-round prospect. That said, he’s one of the best athletes in the draft and he brings a lot of versatility to the wing at 6-foot-6. He’s a project worth taking on.
42. Immanuel Quickley, guard, Kentucky
A speedy floor-spacer, Quickley was a valuable part of Kentucky’s talented (if not universally praised) backcourt last season. He has immediate appeal as a secondary creator who and spot up and hit 3s at a healthy clip.
41. Paul Reed, forward, DePaul
Reed has athleticism to spare at 6-foot-9. He still has a long way to go developmentally, but his ranginess on defense, combined with flashes of brilliance in the open court offensively, should keep him firmly in the second round conversation.