NBA Draft 2015: 5 second-round bargains
By Brad Rowland
Norman Powell, SG UCLA
This is as close as we will come to “cheating” in this space, since Powell has been discussed as a potential pick at the back end of the first round. Still, he is virtually a consensus second-rounder based upon the various mocks flying around on the internet, and it would be a surprise if he fell within the first 30 picks in late June.
Powell is a unique case in that he profiles as an elite athlete despite the relative “stigma” of being a college senior in the NBA Draft. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, the former UCLA Bruin flashed a 40.5-inch vertical leap at the combine, and he is tremendously explosive. In addition, Powell boasts a wingspan of greater than 6-10, and that helps to mitigate his relative lack of size.
He certainly plays bigger than 6-foot-4, but it will be interesting to see how scouts view Powell in NBA terms. He is almost certainly a shooting guard at the next level, but the 22-year-old hasn’t proven that he can knock down outside shots, including a 31.9% clip from three in his final season with the Bruins.
Norman Powell can unquestionably fill a role as an uber-athletic “stopper” in the NBA, but given his age and size questions, a second-round pick is probably the place to do that. Still, grabbing an almost sure-fire NBA talent after the top-30 is always a plus.
Next: JP Tokoto