It’s high time for all of us to take a breather from all the overhyping being done for Lonzo Ball and all the other top picks, and put some spotlight to the less-heralded cagers. It can be too much, especially with Lonzo’s father, LaVar, and his apologists taken into consideration.
More than that, though, is the timing of eyeing good sleepers to win the trophy, with Malcolm Brogdon (last year’s 36th overall pick) taking home the past season’s Rookie of the Year honors – the first second-round pick to do so.
Collins was a machine at Wake Forest. A pure athlete who has a 6’11 wingspan and good speed for his size, he concluded his sophomore year averaging impressive numbers – 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game on 62.2-percent field-goal shooting. He was the first Demon Deacon since Tim Duncan to put up such stats.
Rex likes the situation that Collins is entering in Atlanta, a team that’s suddenly rebuilding. Combine the Hawks’ free-for-all front court with Collins’s efficiency in stuffing the stat sheet, and we could be seeing another R.O.Y. winner outside the lottery.
Josh Hart – Los Angeles Lakers
As a big, versatile, and fearless point guard, there’s not too many reasons to make you dislike this kid. Aside from being the leader of the powerhouse Villanova Wildcats, Hart is a National Champion, Big East Player of the Year, and first-team All-American, who, for some reason, still dropped to the 30th pick.
Though he’ll definitely live under Lonzo Ball’s shadow, Rex sees Hart as the more seasoned player and more proven performer under pressure, thus, making him a good sleeper pick.
Allen is blessed with a whole lot of tools to be quite impactful in the league. His NBA-ready ability to provide good rim protection is obviously a plus, but his 7’6 wingspan and 9’2 standing reach is something to be intrigued about. Such size can make his offensive development quicker than usual.
Like Collins, Allen can come to Brooklyn and be the starter from day one, especially since the team is in dire need of talent everywhere. Further, Joel also likes that Allen won’t be facing much pressure with the Nets, who are still neck deep into their rebuilding process.
Mitchell is very much like Josh Hart in terms of skill set, but he’s the more explosive version and the better overall defender. He’s that classic, all-around athletic freak that Louisville coach Rick Pitino always has on his team (Ron Mercer, Terrence Williams, Earl Clark, etc).
Though only 6’3 in height, he has a whopping 6’10 wingspan, which is something that mixes quite well with his versatile scoring abilities.
He should be able to improve his facilitating skills under Ricky Rubio’s tutelage, and we should see him move up the depth charts quick, as he arguably owns a better offensive arsenal than any other two-guard Utah has.
Aside from Lonzo Ball, Kuzma is one of the key components as to why Laker fans are suddenly going nuts over their team. The former Utah Utes standout boasted good numbers on his way to winning Most Valuable Player in the Summer League championship, as he shot an efficient 51.4-percent from the floor and was the only player in the tournament to average more than 20 points and six rebounds per game.
He’ll be fighting Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle for playing time, but considering how coach Luke Walton likes a free-flowing offense, the offense could come easier for Kuzma.
His name kind of faded out due to him being part of the much-criticized Jimmy Butler trade, while also entering a team that has plenty stretch bigs, namely Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis.
Make no mistake about it, though. Lauri Markkanen is still poised to be that Dirk Nowitzki clone he’s always hyped about. When he’s on, he can be expected to surpass Mirotic and Portis in the depth charts, as he has the better upside, post play, and possibly overall shooting.
