NBA Draft 2018: 5 best undrafted players

2. Brandon McCoy (UNLV)

The top half of the lottery was dominated by freshmen big man. DeAndre Ayton and Marvin Bagley III were the first two picks. Jaren Jackson Jr., Mo Bamba, and Wendell Carter Jr. went fourth, sixth, and seventh respectively. However, after Carter Jr. went to the Chicago Bulls another big man wasn’t drafted until the Los Angeles Lakers selected Mo Wagner at 25, and the next freshman big wasn’t taken until Omari Spellman went 30th to the Atlanta Hawks. Once Mitchell Robinson went 36th to the New York Knicks that left one former McDonald’s All-American freshman center on the board, UNLV’s Brandon McCoy.

McCoy is an athletic 7-footer, with a 7-foot-2 wingspan. He was a recruit that all of the big schools were after before ultimately deciding to spend his lone year in college as a Running Rebel. Maybe due to some West Coast bias, McCoy’s 16.9 points per game, 10.3 rebounds per game and 1.8 blocks per game were never really discussed when talk of stellar freshmen seasons were brought up. Yet, McCoy proved that the saying, “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” stills hold true today.

While the era of the big man is likely behind us, McCoy doesn’t look the part of a dinosaur on a modern NBA court. He’s not the fastest or most agile of players, but he’s a solid defender and has the ability to get up and down the court. On the block, McCoy has an assortment of moves and tricks that he uses to get easy looks in the paint.

It is mystifying to me that no one wanted to use a second round pick on him, but the Milwaukee Bucks have scooped him up in the draft’s aftermath. McCoy enters the fray with the Bucks as the biggest center on the team compared to beanstalks John Henson and Thon Maker. Unless he magically morphs into a facilitator or shooter overnight, it’s unlikely he’ll see time for Mike Budenholzer in the near future.