Written by Matt Ostrowski at Fanside.com
The 2016 NBA Draft is approaching, so what sleepers might be available in the second-round?
If anyone knows a thing or two about the second round of the NBA Draft, it’s Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.
The former Michigan State big man was selected 35th overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 2012 NBA Draft. After an up-and-down rookie campaign and an inconsistent second season, Green is now generally regarded as a top 10 player in the league, and as the heart and soul of the record-breaking, 73-win Warriors.
Now, Green himself is offering his opinion on sleeper’s in this year’s NBA Draft.
The Kay Felder suggestion is an interesting one, and he’s has said that he draws motivation from Thomas’ unlikely success story.
On paper, the comparison makes sense. Thomas stood at 5’8″ coming out of college at Washington, and Felder comes out of Oakland at 5’9″. Felder’s college stats were much more impressive, averaging 24 points and nine assists compared to Thomas’ 16 points and six assists during his junior year at Washington.
But still, it’s not that simple. If it was as simple as just comparing a couple of guys’ college stats, there would be no NBA Draft sleepers.
Felder still checks every other box. His vertical at this week’s NBA Draft Combine was the second-highest in the history of the combine. Felder’s 6’2 1/2″ wingspan is about an inch longer than Thomas’. Also, athletically and physically, he bests Thomas.
Felder is clearly a sleeper, as teams will look at his size and downgrade him based on the level of competition he faced at Oakland.
In that case, let’s take a look at some other potential second-round sleepers.
Another player mentioned by Green was forward Jae Crowder. The former Marquette Golden Eagle has helped personify the small-ball style of play and has shown how valuable 3-and-D prospects are in the modern NBA game.
And while Damion Lee doesn’t quite have the bulk that Crowder did coming out of college, he makes up for it with a much better shooting ability. Even though Crowder is generally referred to as a “3-and-D” player in the NBA, he isn’t exactly an elite shooter, sitting at 32 percent during his short NBA career.
Lee, on the other hand, was a 36 percent shooter in college. While that may not seem like a fantastic number, he did so on a lot of attempts.
As DraftExpress points out: “(Lee) has deep range on his jumper, often knocking down shots from well beyond the NBA arc, while also being capable of coming off screens, shooting off dribble-handoffs and pulling up off the dribble.”
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