An example of the difference between being a great college player and just making the NBA was summed up in a SI/CNN look at preseason Value Add ratings that read, “I’ve been playing around with John Pudner’s new Value Add Basketball database, and we seem to agree on the Wolfpack … Value Add isn’t in love with (CJ) Leslie, ranking him as the 175th-best player in D-I for next season. It puts higher values on point guard Lorenzo Brown. In fact it was Brown, not the more heralded Leslie, who was picked in the second round Thursday.
Ironically, I do actually believe Leslie is one of two players not drafted who might be able to sneak onto a roster with a good Summer League showing. The other is Trevor Mbakwe, who I believe is enough of a rebounding beat to find a nitch even though he is only 6-foot-8. However, in a sign of how much sports is moving toward analytics for selections, the teams picked 52 of the same 60 players we believe have the best chance to produce at the NBA level.
Adam Silver (left in photo) took over the draft from David Stern (right) Thursday night, and he will take over the league as the new commissioner soon. We rated five second round picks as “AA” grade selections led by Breitbart Sports All-American Nate Wolters.
It is unusual to find a starter in the second round, and Wolters and fellow Breitbart Sports All-Americans Mike Muscala and Erick Green are more likely to be strong role players in the NBA. The only second rounder we believe could be a starter in a few years is Jamaal Franklin, but we also believe Peyton Siva and Pierre Jackson could be valuable backup point guards at the next level despite both being less than six feet tall with no shoes.
| Pick | NBA Team | Value | Grade | Player | Team | Age/Yr | Height/Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Cleveland | 29 | B | Allen Crabbe SG | California | 21/Jr. | 6′ 6″ 197lbs. |
| 32 | Oklahoma City | 62 | D | Alex Abrines SG | Barcelona | 19/Intl. | 6′ 5″ 190lbs. |
| 33 | Cleveland | 50 | D | Carrick Felix SG | Arizona State | 22/Sr. | 6′ 6″ 203lbs. |
| 34 | Houston | 40 | B | Isaiah Canaan PG | Murray State | 22/Sr. | 6′ 0″ 188lbs. |
| 35 | Washington | 28 | B | Glen Rice SF | Rio Grande Valley | 22/Sr. | 6′ 6″ 211lbs. |
| 36 | Sacramento | 33 | B | Ray McCallum PG | Detroit | 22/Jr. | 6′ 2″ 191lbs. |
| 37 | Detroit | 42 | B | Tony Mitchell PF | North Texas | 21/So. | 6′ 9″ 236lbs. |
| 38 | Philadelphia | 25 | AA | Nate Wolters PG | South Dakota St | 22/Sr. | 6′ 5″ 196lbs. |
| 39 | Portland | 31 | A | Jeff Withey C | Kansas | 23/Sr. | 7′ 0″ 222lbs. |
| 40 | Portland | 47 | B | Grant Jerrett PF | Arizona | 19/Fr. | 6′ 10″ 232lbs. |
| 41 | Memphis | 22 | AA | Jamaal Franklin SG | San Diego State | 21/Jr. | 6′ 5″ 191lbs. |
| 42 | Philadelphia | 46 | B | Pierre Jackson PG | Baylor | 21/Sr. | 5′ 10″ 176lbs. |
| 43 | Milwaukee | 39 | B | Ricky Ledo SG | Providence | 20/Fr. | 6′ 6″ 197lbs. |
| 44 | Dallas | 32 | A | Mike Muscala C | Bucknell | 21/Sr. | 6′ 11″ 230lbs. |
| 45 | Portland | 72 | D | Marko Todorovic C | Barcelona | 21/Intl. | 6′ 11″ 240lbs. |
| 46 | Utah | 21 | AA | Erick Green PG/SG | Virginia Tech | 22/Sr. | 6′ 3″ 178lbs. |
| 47 | Atlanta | 97 | D | Raul Neto PG | San Sebastian | 21/Intl. | 6′ 2″ 179lbs. |
| 48 | LA Lakers | 61 | C | Ryan Kelly PF | Duke | 22/Sr. | 7′ 0″ 228lbs. |
| 49 | Chicago | 52 | B | Erik Murphy PF | Florida | 22/Sr. | 6′ 10″ 240lbs. |
| 50 | Atlanta | 45 | A | James Ennis SF | Long Beach State | 22/Sr. | 6′ 7″ 201lbs. |
| 51 | Orlando | 92 | D | Romero Osby PF | Oklahoma | 23/Sr. | 6′ 7″ 230lbs. |
| 52 | Minnesota | 60 | C | Lorenzo Brown PG | N.C. State | 22/Jr. | 6′ 5″ 189lbs. |
| 53 | Indiana | 36 | AA | Colton Iverson C | Colorado State | 23/Sr. | 7′ 0″ 263lbs. |
| 54 | Washington | 44 | A | Arsalan Kazemi PF | Oregon | 23/Sr. | 6′ 8″ 225lbs. |
| 55 | Memphis | 78 | D | Joffrey Lauvergne PF | Partizan | 21/Intl. | 6′ 11″ 240lbs. |
| 56 | Detroit | 41 | AA | Peyton Siva PG | Louisville | 22/Sr. | 6′ 1″ 181lbs. |
| 57 | Phoenix | 84 | D | Alex Oriakhi PF | Missouri | 23/Sr. | 6′ 9″ 238lbs. |
| 58 | San Antonio | 59 | C | Deshaun Thomas SF/PF | Ohio State | 21/Jr. | 6′ 7″ 220lbs. |
| 59 | Minnesota | 56 | B | Bojan Dubljevic PF/C | Valencia | 21/Intl. | 6′ 10″ 242lbs. |
| 60 | Memphis | 85 | C | Janis Timma SF | Ventspils | 20/Intl. | 6′ 7″ 226lbs. |
| Undrafted | 30 | Trevor Mbakwe PF | Minnesota | 24/Sr. | 6′ 8″ 236lbs. | ||
| Undrafted | 35 | CJ Leslie SF/PF | N.C. State | 22/Jr. | 6′ 9″ 209lbs. | ||
| Undrafted | 38 | Richard Howell PF | N.C. State | 22/Sr. | 6′ 7″ 250lbs. | ||
| Undrafted | 43 | Jackie Carmichael PF | Illinois State | 23/Sr. | 6′ 9″ 241lbs. | ||
| Undrafted | 48 | DeWayne Dedmon C | USC | 23/Jr. | 6′ 11″ 239lbs. | ||
| Undrafted | 53 | James Southerland SF | Syracuse | 23/Sr. | 6′ 8″ 221lbs. | ||
| Undrafted | 57 | Robert Covington PF | Tennessee State | 22/Sr. | 6′ 7″ 209lbs. | ||
| Undrafted | 58 | Kenny Kadji PF | Miami FL | 25/Sr. | 6′ 10″ 242lbs. |
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