Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; A general view as the names of the first round draft picks are displayed above the stage during the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Who is your biggest sleeper from the draft?
Michael Saenz: For some reason, I think Julius Randle is going to be a whole lot better than most people believe he’s going to be. And while if he develops into a great player, it won’t surprise many people, I just think Randle is going to have a bigger impact on the Lakers this season than many of the other rookies will on their respective teams.
He’s going to have opportunity. And playing beside Kobe Bryant isn’t going to hurt, either.
John Armstrong: I was hoping my Kings would snag Elfrid Payton at No. 8 on Draft night, but Orlando was able to acquire him. Now I’m not claiming to be a Payton expert as I’ve only seen limited game tape of him, but from what I’ve seen, he’s explosive and confident with his offensive game. He’s athletic enough to adapt to playing NBA defense and guards’ skills grow quickly. He’s also on a team that needed to fill the point guard position and has a veteran from which to learn (in Luke Ridnour).
His jump shot leaves a bit to be desired, but a lot of point guards enter the league with no jumper and improve rapidly. I think he could be this year’s Damian Lillard (in terms of sleeper impact, not skill set).
Morten Jensen: Jarnell Stokes at #35 is a big, skilled power forward who is actually fairly athletic considered his size (6’8.5, 263) and capable of doing a bit of everything at the basket. He’s a tremendous rebounder, can score in a variety of ways around the rim, gets to the free throw line, and doesn’t struggle with efficiency issues as he sported a TS% of 58 and knew his limitations. At 20, he has room to grow and will be able to observe Zach Randolph for a few years, who he shares similar traits to. Stokes could end up as a starting four in this league, which as the 35th pick, would be a huge accomplishment.
DBLTAP
George Middleton: The biggest sleeper in the draft is to me Zach LaVine. He’s arguably the best athlete in the draft and has unlimited range on his jumper. What makes LaVine an intriguing rookie is that he is 19 years old and hasn’t fully developed as a player. LaVine can potentially be a lockdown defender with his size (6”6) and still has room to improve as a playmaker. LaVine showed flashes of his game in the summer league as he averaged 15.7 points.
Bryce Olin: Cleanthony Early. Any other year, Early would have been a first-round pick. Instead, he fell to the Knicks in the second-round at the 34th pick in the draft. Early’s not perfect and he still has a long way to go, but you can tell he has what it takes to be good in the NBA. In the Kentucky-Wichita State game in the NCAA tournament, Early went toe-toe with all of Kentucky’s highly touted recruits and was the best player on the floor. Maybe it won’t be with the Knicks, but I think it’s possible he could be an All-Star in he future.
Brandon Osborne: K.J. McDaniel’s. McDaniel’s did everything for the Clemson Tigers from scoring, rebounding to playing solid defense. The 76ers got a steal in the 2nd round when they landed McDaniel’s.
David Ramil: I’m tempted to say Anderson, just because San Antonio will coach him up and, in about three years after Duncan and Ginobili have retired, Anderson will get the keys to the finely-tuned Spurs car. But, as far as immediate impact? I’m going with Nick Johnson out of Arizona, who went 42nd to the Rockets. He was solid and explosive at school but, entering the draft, there were concerns about his height (just 6’3”, generously) and whether his skills would translate to the pro game. While you have to take it with a huge grain of salt, I’d say his summer league performance answered that question. And with Houston trading away Jeremy Lin, losing Parsons and given Patrick Beverley’s oft-injured status, I’d say Johnson will get a lot more playing time than expected and should provide something positive out of a terrible summer for the Rockets.
HoopDon: Aaron Gordon. He projects well via adjusted plus-minus variants, and apparently, he could be the next Blake Griffin.
Stefan Abramian: I have to say Zach LaVine, I seen videos of him dunking on Youtube, boy that guy can get up there.