Low picks, high upside

Though most of the stars in the NBA today come from the top 10 or so picks in the draft, above average players can be found outside the top half of the first round, in the last couple years there have been plenty of All-Stars selected low in the first round and even the second, players like Rajon Rondo, Zach Randolph, Carlos Boozer, Gerald Wallace, David West, Rashard Lewis, Mo Williams, and Jameer Nelson. International players like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Marc Gasol were also taken outside the top two-thirds of the draft. Here our some prospects who are likely to be taken low in the first or in the second who have All-Star upside.

Jared Cunningham, G Oregon State Jr. (6-5, 188)
Jared Cunningham has a number of things going for him that lead you to believe he could become a star. First, he's got terrific physical tools, Cunningham is one of the best athletes in the draft, very explosive and coordinated and has good size and length. Secondly, he's great at getting to the rim with a quick first step and a solid handle, as a result he draws a ton of fouls, 270 to be exact, which was best in the country and shot 51% from 2 point range. Cunningham has also improved his jumpshot each year, though being one of the few scoring options on his team forced him to take some tougher shots. Cunningham is also excellent defensively, with lock-down potential and picks up a ton of steals: 2.7 a game over the last two seasons. What really makes Cunningham a potential star is that he could be a candidate to convert to point guard, because in addition to his ability to penetrate and ball handling skills, Cunningham has good court vision and ball handling. Obviously, it'll take time for Cunningham to learn to run an NBA team, but in the meantime or if the conversion doesn't work out, he can play 2 guard and provide some defense and ability to get to the rim from that position.

Will Barton, SG Memphis So. (6-6, 174)
MarShon Brooks was one of the most productive players in college basketball in his 4 years at Providence and one of the most versatile scorers in the draft as well as having great physical tools, but he fell to 25 in the draft, yet ended up on the All-Rookie 2nd Team. Will Barton is a similar type of player, but is actually a better prospect. Barton is long and athletic and can score from anywhere on the floor. Whether it's slashing to the rim with a quick first step or shooting with range past the three point line, Barton is effective. Where he's most effective right now is from mid-range where he's got a plethora of moves facing the basket or even posting up. He also plays hard and pursues the ball aggressively, averaging 8 rebounds a game as a shooting guard! Defensively, Barton competes and has the quicks and length to be a good NBA defender, if he gets stronger. And strength is really Barton's only flaw at this point, he's never been really overpowered at Memphis, but at his weight it's going to be an issue in the NBA, though not a huge one. Barton has all the physical ability you look for in a wing player, a polished offensive game, and he's efficient (51% from the fields) and plays hard, but might go in the 2nd round for no real, discernible reason despite the fact that he should be able to come in and score right away in the NBA.




Quincy Miller, F Baylor Fr. (6-10, 219)
His Junior year of High School, there wasn't a more electrifying player in the country than Quincy Miller, you just don't see a 6-10 forward crossing over guards and dunking big men every day of the week. However, he tore his ACL and missed his Senior year before coming to Baylor and winning Big 12 Rookie of the Year on a 30 win team that reached the Elite 8 before losing to the eventually National Champions... And somehow he had a disappointing season? ACL tears are usually 2 year injuries, so Miller did all that and wasn't at one hundred percent. In workouts he's looked like he's gotten even more explosiveness back. If he went back to school and dominated in his Sophomore season like he has the ability to, Miller would be a top 5 pick in the next draft, but in this draft he might fall out of the first round, so someone will be getting a steal when they take him. On the court, Miller is big and long, but has advanced ball handling skills for his size and a nice jump shot, though he needs to become more consistent in that area. He can also post up and is a good rebounder, shot blocker and passer. Given his size, Miller can play power forward while his skills allow him to play the 3 as well, he needs to get stronger to play the 4 on a regular basis but given his age (19) there's not reason to think he can't. Unless Miller's knee has some long term issue, there's no reason for him not to go in at least the mid-first, but there's a fair chance he falls to the 2nd.