It's true that the 2011 draft is short on elite, potential star prospects, however there's considerable depth in the late first round and even in the second. The superstars take center stage in the playoffs, but it's often the role players that are crucial to winning in the post-season. Taj Gibson has come off the bench and picked up the slack of ailing Carlos Boozer, J.J. Barea used his quickness to dice up the Lakers defense, Tony Allen has taken the task of shutting down the opponents best perimeter player, and James Jones has provided the floor spacing to give the LeBron and Wade driving lanes. None of these players were picked before the 25th pick in the first round. Other such valuable role players can be found late in this draft as well.

Taj Gibson, Bulls (2009, 1st round, 26th overall)
Carlos Boozer has struggled to get going in these playoffs, due to a foot injury and some a lack of confidence. Coming off the bench, Taj Gibson has come off the bench when Boozer has struggled and provided energy to help lift the Bulls second unit. When Gibson comes in the game, he usually blocks a shot or two, tries to dunk a offensive rebound, hits a mid-range jumper, and drops in a shot hook shot. Shot blocking, athleticism, a consistent jumpshot, and some simple post moves are all features of Purdue Senior JaJuan Johnson's game. Johnson is a long, athletic forward with 7-2 wingspan who's blocked 263 shots in his career at Purdue. He also has range out to the college 3 point line and should be able to knock down 18-20 foot jumpers consistently. The concern with Johnson is that while he's a legit 6-10, he only weighs 220-225 pounds, but when Gibson came out of USC he was only 214 pounds. Johnson should go off the board sometime in the early second round and should be player minutes as a backup power forward right away.

J.J. Barea, Mavericks (2001, undrafted)
One of the keys to the Mavericks shocking sweep of the Lakers was J.J. Berea's ability to penetrate and run pick-and-roll. Barea is generously listed at six feet tall (he's probably more like 5-10) but his quickness and tight handle allow him to slip past players to the rim. One of the problems Barea has is finishing at the rim because he's not explosive and lacks great bulk. Washington's Isaiah Thomas is just as short as Barea at 5-9 and has the same quickness and ball handling skills, but has a bigger frame and is an explosive athlete. Barea isn't a great three point shooter, so he usually has to play with the ball in his hands. While Thomas has the floor vision to play the point, he also has the outside shot to play off the ball if need be. As a rich man Barea with great leadership skills and work ethic, Thomas is a lock for the second round with a chance at the late first.

Tony Allen, Grizzles (2004, 1st round, 25th overall)
Despite a wildly inconsistent mixed-bag of production on offense, Tony Allen brings First Team All-Defense every night on the floor. Great athletic ability combined with instincts and tenacity allow Allen to shut down guards and wings game in and game out despite being undersized at 6-4. Allen has decent ball handling skills and can play the point if absolutely necessary but is a bad deep shooter and can be turnover prone. UCLA's Malcolm Lee played point guard for his first two years at UCLA with mixed results but was clearly better suited to play the 2 despite an inconsistent jumpshot. Lee can slash, finish at the rim and find teammates but like Allen, his bread and butter is his defense. Lee is the best perimeter defender in this draft and should find a role as a defensive stopper in the NBA with the upside of a 2 guard with point guard skills. Lee should be drafted late-first/early second.

James Jones, Heat (2003, 2nd round, 50th overall)
Along with Joel Anthony, James Jones is the most important non-Big 3 player on the Heat (you might argue they're more important than Bosh Spice) because of the roles they play. Jones' 3 point shooting ability (43% this season) has provided the spacing to open driving lanes to the basket for LeBron and Wade. Jones isn't the defender he used to be, but he's still a passable defender. Ohio State's David Lighty also shot a 43% from 3 this season and has improved every season from deep. He's also a high effort defender with a high basketball IQ and should be able to have that role player mindset from day 1. Lighty has a chance to get drafted in the second round but could easily go undrafted, I still expect him to make an NBA roster and even get some minutes as a floor spacing backup 2 guard.