NBA Draft: 5 underrated prospects that could emerge as steals

Taking a closer look at five prospects that could emerge as NBA Draft steals.

Every single year plenty of intriguing and talented prospects enter the 2021 NBA Draft with hopes of becoming superstars or just hoping to realize a childhood dream of playing in this league. When we observe all the mock drafts, it’s obvious to see who the top prospects are and who is projected to go with the first couple of picks.

These players will get all the hype, media attention and the praise that comes with being a lottery pick, but as we have all witnessed over the years, some top draft picks don’t exactly pan out and fail to meet the enormous expectations placed upon them. There are those players who will be selected later on who will turn out to be gems and have better careers than those selected before them.

A few examples of these kinds of players are Tony Parker who was drafted with the final pick in the first round of the 2001 Draft, Gilbert Arenas who was selected in the second round also in 2001, Monta Ellis in the 2005 Draft, Kyle Lowry going 24th overall in 2006 and Khris Middleton being picked in the second round back in 2012.

There is talent to be found late in every draft but it’s up to the scouts and general managers to do their homework and find them. Here are a few potential players expected to be selected later in the upcoming 2021 NBA Draft who have the potential to have long careers in the league.