Fansided

NBA Draft 2017: 5 potential second round steals

By Chris Reichert

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a video board displaying all thirty draft picks in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a video board displaying all thirty draft picks in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Dec 30, 2015; Rosemont, IL, USA; Georgetown Hoyas guard L.J. Peak (0) shoots a free throw against the DePaul Blue Demons during the first half at Allstate Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2015; Rosemont, IL, USA; Georgetown Hoyas guard L.J. Peak (0) shoots a free throw against the DePaul Blue Demons during the first half at Allstate Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /

3. L.J. Peak

L.J. Peak really propelled himself into draft conversations with his improved 3-point shooting after his freshman season at Georgetown. Now, he’s a real 3-and-D option for teams in the second round who need to add inexpensive depth to their roster. Peak is 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan which allowed him to guard positions 1-4 in college. With his stout frame at 215 pounds, he should be able to guard positions 1-3 in the NBA and he wants his defense to be his calling card.

Peak still needs to refine his 3-point shot so he can be consistent from extended range. From time to time his elbow flails too far out creating an inconsistent motion which leads to misses. DraftExpress has Peak at No. 60 in their most recent mock draft and they recently posted a video of his shooting form as well. It’s easy to see his elbow is further out than one would want in these videos and even though he’s making them, this is something he has to fix.

As a freshman he shot just 25 percent from 3, but in his sophomore season that number rose to an impressive 40.9 and in his junior season the figure dipped back to 32.7 percent. Even though he played three years of college his sample size from 3 is still rather small having only taken 263 attempts from deep. His combined 3-point percentage is 33.5 and for him to be a true 3-and-D threat that number needs to rise somewhere around 37-40 percent consistently, on at least 300 attempts per season. Peak showed off his ability to create for others a junior posting an impressive 22.64 assist rate for a shooting guard. He struggled with turnovers and decision making, so those traits will need to be improved upon, but Peak has all the necessary tools to succeed at the next level.

Home/NBA Draft