Top 5 standout second-round picks from the 2023 NBA Summer League

There are always steals found late in the draft. In the NBA Summer League, some of the top performers happened to be second-round picks from the 2023 draft.

Just this past season, two of the major award winners were former second-round picks. Malcolm Brogdon was named the 6th Man of the Year, and Nikola Jokic – the greatest second-round pick in NBA history – won NBA Finals MVP after leading the Denver Nuggets to the title.

It’s clear: second-round picks hold serious value. There are gems to be found in the latter 30 – or 28 for this year’s draft – selections. Just in the last two drafts, here are some notable players that were drafted in the second round: Andrew Nembhard, Herb Jones, Ayo Dosumnu, Isaiah Livers, Jaylin Williams, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Aaron Wiggins, Caleb Houstan, and Jaden Hardy.

It’s always a great story when a player on your favorite team that was a second-round pick breaks out. Not only does it give your team another quality player, but it proves that both your team’s scouting department and development department have done a good job.

Sometimes, players fall in the draft for various reasons, but their talent never would have let them be a second-round pick. Other times, teams just find a gem and develop them in a proper manner.

In this year’s draft, all 28 second-round picks technically have a chance to be these guys who become legit rotation players or better. For some, it’s more likely than others. Thus far in the NBA  Summer League though, some players have flashed more upside than others.

Top second-round pick performances in the NBA Summer League

Of course, it’s just Summer League. It’s easy to say such a thing. Some older prospects who are more NBA-ready will play better than those who are labeled projects. That doesn’t mean that Summer League doesn’t matter at all, as it gives flashes of players and what they truly can become. Let’s take a look at the five biggest standout 2023 second-round picks from Summer League with some honorable mentions.