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2024 NBA Draft
Jalen Brunson. Nikola Jokic. Draymond Green.
Every year, quality players — and a few stars — fall into the second round of the NBA Draft. Last season, 52 players drafted in the second round touched the court in an NBA game. There are quality players to be found, there are steals to be made.
Who were the steals of the 2024 NBA Draft’s second round? Here are my four favorites.
Johnny Furphy to Indiana (No. 35)
He was a rising star at Kansas (and is rumored to have turned down big NIL money to stay in Lawrence), but he chose to enter the draft at age 19. He comes with NBA size (6-9) and athleticism plus a 3-point shot (35.4% last season) — surprisingly, he fell to the second round.
He doesn’t create a lot of shots for himself yet — again, he’s 19, he can grow into that — but he knows how to finish plays from the arc or at the rim. That sounds like the kind of guy who can thrive playing with Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell. This was a steal in the second round for the Pacers, just adding to the depth of a team that was in the Eastern Conference Finals.
There was a lot of buzz about the younger Christie — brother of Lakers’ wing Max Christie — having strong workouts with teams and moving up draft boards. Then he fell to the middle of the second round.
This is a steal because Christie is an 18-year-old who shot 39.1% from 3 last season and is rapidly improving. Yes, there are holes in his game right now — like any shooting inside the arc — and he’s got to get stronger and improve his defense, but he’s an 18-year-old sharpshooter. That is a good bet by the Clippers.
I’ll admit a bias here — I have a soft spot for high-energy big men off the bench. The Montrezl Harrell/Ronny Turiaf mold of player who just comes in and out-hustles everyone on the court, changing the vibe.
I think Philadelphia got one of those guys in Adem Bona, a guy who at 6’8” was one of the best interior defenders in this draft class, thanks to explosive athleticism and a 7’4” wingspan.
“ . I represent a lot of people. I represent two countries, and I know that back home, they’re very proud of…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/2024-nba-draft-round-2-033622292.html
Author : NBC Sports
Publish date : 2024-06-28 03:36:22
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