The second round of the NBA draft is the main time for the afterthoughts and project players to hear their names.
The festivities in New York were tame on Wednesday, one day after the prime picks were celebrated and paraded in front of cameras and the media.
But gems can be panned out on Day 2, and there is an impressive list of past second-round picks.
Current NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks was a second-round selection (33rd overall) by the Dallas Mavericks in 2018, while three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets went 41st overall in 2014. Stellar hard-nosed defender Draymond Green was picked 35th by the Golden State Warriors in 2012.
You can also find San Antonio Spurs great Manu Ginobili (57th in 1999) and rebounding legend Dennis Rodman (27th in 1986 by the Detroit Pistons) in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton would like to become part of that pipeline, and he was the first player taken in the second round on Wednesday at No. 31.
Thornton was picked with a draft choice belonging to the New York Knicks that was known to be en route to the Houston Rockets. The all-time leading scorer for the Buckeyes (2,164 points) would certainly be viewed as an immediate contributor who could develop into a key scorer.
“I’m trying to be a winner, at the end of the day,” Thornton, who averaged 19.9 points last season, said on ESPN’s broadcast. “I’m trying to win games and impact winning each and every night. I know it’s going to be tough, but I’m built for the moment.”
The Knicks chose for real at No. 39 and took German guard Jack Kayil. The 20-year-old committed to Gonzaga before later entering the draft. He chose to stay in after receiving encouraging feedback.
The Grizzlies selected second on Wednesday and made the type of gamble that traditionally occurs in the second round.
Memphis tabbed BYU guard Richie Saunders, who tore his right ACL in February and is in the midst of his rehabilitation. He also turns 25 in September and was a late bloomer after serving a two-year church mission prior to starting his college career.
The versatile Saunders averaged 18.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in 25 games as the sidekick to AJ Dybantsa, who went No. 1 overall on Tuesday to the Washington Wizards.
NCAA all-time career assists leader Braden Smith went 38th overall, with the Chicago Bulls executing the pick and sending him to the Indiana Pacers. The Purdue point guard had 1,103 assists in 149 games over four seasons to pass the longstanding mark held by Duke’s Bobby Hurley (1,076 in 140 games from 1989-93).
There were many project-type selections, one being Virginia Tech forward Tobi Lawal going 48th to the Dallas Mavericks.
The highly athletic 6-foot-8 London native played two seasons at VCU and two campaigns with Virginia Tech. He averaged 1.3 points in his first college season before later developing his scoring and sporting averages of 12.4 and 12.3 in his two seasons with the Hokies. He averaged 8.5 rebounds last season.
“Just being versatile defensively, being a threat on offense and growing at the stuff that I’m not good at yet,” Lawal said of his outlook.
Other notable college players selected Wednesday included Kentucky guard Otega Oweh (No. 41 to Oklahoma City after a trade from the Miami Heat), Houston guard Emanuel Sharp (No. 45 to Sacramento), Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (No. 50 to Toronto) and Northwestern forward Nick Martinelli, the Big Ten scoring leader at 23.0 per game, going No. 55 to the Clippers.
The 60th and final selection of the draft was forward Malique Lewis of Trinidad and Tobago to the Milwaukee Bucks via way of the Wizards. The 6-8 Lewis averaged 6.9 points and 4.3 rebounds for South East Melbourne of the National Basketball League in Australia this season.
The Bucks are in rebuilding mode after agreeing to trade franchise icon Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Heat earlier this week. The Bucks took Arizona guard Brayden Burries at No. 10 in the first round and Tennessee forward Nate Ament at No. 13 in a pick obtained from the Heat.
Also, the Pistons reportedly traded power forward Isaiah Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies for three future second-round draft picks. Stewart, 25, averaged 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 58 appearances (13 starts) last season.
–Field Level Media
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