Secondhand Goods: A Brief Look at the 2nd Round
Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2017 5:33 am
Though historically the 2nd Round has been a cesspool of early cuts, you never quite know what to expect with these new guys. Sure, first-rounders are prettier, but they're also riskier, especially further down. 2 years guaranteed for a scrub as opposed to freely-cuttable salary? Hmm. So if you're in the mood for some thrift shoppin', here's some of what's in stock:
Newton Boatright
This Houston native and alum specializes in shooting, especially from midrange. 62 JPS, 60 3PS, with a B in JPS and C in 3PS. If he ever gets fouled (unlikely with his pitiful inside game), he'll drain them easily with 94 FTS (A potential). He also possesses a skill that's rather lacking in this draft, perimeter defense. 65 with B potential is a darn good starting point, and he also has C potential...in blocks (36). How a 6'4" shooting guard is going to swat anyone consistently is beyond me, but we'll just go with it. Though he has okay all-around athleticism (another rarity in this draft), he's quite slow (62 QKN). A solid undersized 3&D prospect.
Isaias Stumpf
Another 6'4" SG, Stumpf's a pure scorer who won't ever pass (13 PAS, F potential), but can be trusted not to turn it over (51 HND, C potential). Unless he actually attempts a pass. Then that s#!|'s going the other way. But let's get back to the scoring. 66 INS with B potential is quite nice,
54 JPS and 40 3PS with C potential in both is quite okay, and 90 FTS with A potential means good things can happen when this guy slashes. And with 79 QKN as well as 63 JMP, he can do that quite well. If you fancy a bit of bench scoring, here you go. His only real flaw (besides his atrocious D) is being stuck with that awful name. Stumpf? Really? Is the P silent?
Daniel Gifford
Now we go from Stumpf-man to Jumpman (I'm so sorry). Gifford is what happens after the princess kisses the frog, as he sports an impressive 81 JMP. Combine this with 67 INS (B potential), and you have the makings of a fearsome paint invader. Aside from that niche though, he's quite average. At 6'5" he simply won't make it as a SF, but 63 QKN only scares Newton Boatright when it comes to the 2. Oh, and he can barely shoot a water gun, much less a midrange shot (19 JPS, D potential). He could be decent if something comes of those Cs.
Russel Arciniega
The hell is this!? I...don't even know what I'm looking at here. This is what happens when the little red Monstar takes Ewing's talent instead of Muggsy's, folks. 75 INS with B potential. 88 DRB. 83 BLK. A potential in both. 39 QKN. 6'5". I wish I was lying, but it's true, it's damn true. Someone just has to draft this guy, for science if nothing else. Jeez .
John Tittle
Another finalist in the "damn I wish I was eligible for a name change" sweepstakes, the Titty Master (and it's easy to see how he got that name, he looks just like Toronto/Milwaukee pretty boy Rick Fox) is a pure PG. He passes, he defends, he goes back to the bench. 64 HND, 63 PAS, 79 PRD, B potential for all three. Top that off with a functional 75 QKN, and you have the perfect counterpart to a score-first, turnover-heavy guard...like that Stumpf kid, now that I think about it.
Sherwood Winger
Now here's something we haven't seen much of in this article: Big men. The vast majority of them are fairly run-of-the-mill (probably due to Arciniega sucking up all their talent), but Sherwood has one big thing that helps him stand out: He's really, really big. Like, huge. 7'4". 290. Yeah. That's undoubtedly the only reason why you'd even give this natural PF (dafuq) a look, as he has no standout skill other than free-throw shooting (dafuq). 51 INS and 50 PSD (C potential in both) are the only other things that aren't woefully below average. One final oddity, though. Sherwood definitely lives up to his last name, the man is stupidly quick for his size. 51 QKN? What is this I don't even..
Lyman Johnson
Heavens be, a 3 with the appropriate size and speed for the position? This is amazing! Don't get too excited though, Lyman's a mix of Gifford and Winger potential-wise. Like Winger, he only has one real standout skill amidst a sea of mediocrity (and D potential), and like Gifford, his mediocre ratings are spread out just well enough to give you hope that one day, he could be your 8th man. But back to his standout skill: Thievery. 76 STL with B potential gives him a niche, however small that may be. But hey, a shot at making an NBA roster has to be better than living with that dork Jon and his obese cat, right?
So there you have it, 7 2nd-rounders who might one day be worth the measly amount of time and cap hit you'll take to look at and draft 'em. Bargain-bin shopping can be rewarding, but you gotta be able to pick out the junk from the trash. Y'know, because junk can be salvaged but trash is still tra...yeah, I'll shut up now. Thanks for reading!
