The Indiana Pacers have the 50th pick in the 2019 NBA draft. That's in the often overlooked second-round. And rightfully so, most of the NBA's best players are drafted in the first half of the draft.
But there has never been a more appropriate time to analyze the second round. The Toronto Raptors just won the NBA Championship and Patrick McCaw, Jodie Meeks, Danny Green, Norman Powell, and Marc Gasol were all on the roster. Incidentally, they were all second-round picks. On the Warriors side, Draymond Green, Jordan Bell, and Jonas Jerebko were all picked in round two. That's eight players between the two rosters.
Outside of Powell, Bell, and Green, none of those guys were drafted by the team they represented in the finals. But the sheer number of second rounders that participated in the series should emphasize the importance of picks 31-60.
There are always some gems that fall too far. Since 2000, the Pacers have grabbed James Jones, AJ Price, Lance Stephenson, Joe Young, and Edmond Sumner with late picks. All of those players contributed to Indiana at some point. Picks deep in the draft have had value for the blue and gold.
They have the 50th pick this year, which will present a chance to swing at a potential gem. Are there any good players who could be available that late? I think so. Three, specifically.
Charles Matthews
Charles Matthews tore his ACL. That's the elephant in the room. We will talk about that momentarily.
Let's switch gears early and talk about what makes Matthews so awesome: his defense.
Matthews is known for his defense. His overall defense is good, but he is specifically excellent on the ball. According to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, he had a strong workout with the Spurs and did a fantastic job defending USC's Kevin Porter. That is what Matthews is all about.
Watch him here, using all of his 6'9.5 wingspan to get his hands right in the grill of his matchup. He then cuts off a pass to a cutter and blows up a pick and roll by himself. This kid can defend:
The reason the Michigan wing is considered a second-round level prospect is because of his offensive limitations. His true shooting percentage was only a hair above 50 percent in his final collegiate season and he's just okay at creating his own shot. He isn't useless on that end of the floor, but he is bad enough that he would muck up a teams spacing until he refines some skills.
But the D is good enough to get him drafted. Even with the injury. Sure, his stock falls because of a torn ACL. He might be a milli-moment slower or slightly less athletic, but his work on the less glamorous end of the floor will still be very good.
The Pacers have drafted players who got injured in college in the second round recently with Edmond Sumner and Ike Anigbogu. The organization gave the two of them time to rehab and then helped them work on their game. They both got a shot in the NBA. Perhaps Matthews could too.
Jontay Porter
Jontay Porter is another injury guy. If you're just noticing, yes, I find injured players to be undervalued.
Porter was largely considered to be a lottery pick until he tore his ACL before his sophomore season at Missouri. Then, in March, he tore it again. Woof.
That's tough, but it's not enough to deter me from the 2018 SEC Sixth Man of the Year. He can flat out play.
I know that highlights show the pinnacle of a players ability and not the nitty-gritty things they do well. But check out this sequence from Porter. The steal, the ball-handling, the pass... it's all phenomenal:
Just wow. Porter is so skilled. Bigs who can dribble and pass always pique my interest. He can do both, and at a high level. 2.2 assists per game is a great figure for a center, especially one who only played 24.5 minutes per game. His assist percentage in his only college season was right around the number of Cory Joseph and Aaron Holiday in the pros. He can sling it around.
He's solid as a help defender and rotator, too. He can move and keep up with the game. His one-on-one defense needs work, but in a team setting, he's effective.
Pre-injury, he was great on offense and useful on D. Now, he will lose a step. How good will he be when he recovers? The answer to that question will determine where he is drafted. But if he is there at 50, the Pacers should take the risk.
Ignas Brazdeikis
Otherwise known as Iggy, Brazdeikis is the only healthy player on this list. He also worked out for the Pacers on June 7th. They wanted to see more of his game.
Oh, also, he's really good. Michigan's leading scorer showed he could get to the rim, hit the outside shot, and get to the free throw line well in his only college season. He finished off the year with 46.2/39.2/77.3 shooting splits. That's a solid line.
Brazdeikis is ambidextrous, which helps with his game. He shoots left-handed, but he can handle it well with either extremity. That aides him in the process of creating his own shot. He can attack with the right hand:
Or the left:
He's fairly athletic — only 21 guys had a higher vertical leap at the NBA draft combine, and he's quick and shifty, as evidenced by the above clips of him attacking. He's also strong, he completed more bench press reps than all but seven guys at the aforementioned combine.
But can these things help him on the floor? That's the question. I think they can.
Thanks to his strength, it's hard to take the ball from Brazdeikis. He had a tiny 8.8 percent turnover rate despite having the highest usage rate on his Wolverines squad. Getting a bucket and never giving the ball to the other team is a terrific combo.
But he should be a higher rated prospect if he's good at scoring and taking care of the ball. The problems? His defense isn't particularly awesome, for starters. Everyone on this Michigan team feels like a good defender when you watch them play since they are such a sound defensive team, but Iggy felt out of place often and he gets beat off the dribble more frequently than others. He's raw on that end.
Additionally, despite a high usage rate and playing nearly 30 minutes per game, Iggy only averaged .8 assists per game. His passing needs work. Granted, he was rarely called upon to create for others or be a distributor, but his passing, in general, leaves a lot to be desired.
I still think he can play. Plus, as a final bonus, Brazdeikis hit 43.84% of his NBA 3s, per the lovely people at The Stepien. If that number sticks, so will the Michigan product.
The second round is tricky. It's hard to find the right guy and the right opportunity to get minutes for said player. But I think all of these guys have a future in the NBA and would be great fits for the Indiana Pacers.