The talent available late in the NBA Draft has declined since the NIL era of college sports makes returning to college more lucrative than a second-round salary. Still, Wednesday’s second round featured plenty of players who fans might see a lot of next season.
Here are five second-round picks who could make a much bigger impact next season than their draft position suggests.
1. Isaiah Evans, Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves need another three-point shooter with Donte DiVincenzo recovering from an Achilles tear, and Evans is one of the best shooters in the draft. As part of a Duke team that reached the Elite Eight, Evans put up 7.4 three-pointers a game, making 36.1 percent on a high degree of difficulty.
Evans shot well on deep threes, showing he has NBA range. He’s slender, but stands 6-foot-7 in shoes and should get plenty of opportunities to earn minutes and sink triples for a Wolves team that desperately needs more three-and-D wings.
2. Henri Veesaar, Atlanta Hawks
North Carolina’s Veesaar may be skinny, but he’s a 6-foot-11 big man who averaged 17 points and 8.7 rebounds last season while shooting 42.6 percent from three-point range. Atlanta Hawks coach Quin Snyder favors a three-point heavy attack, with starting center Onyeka Okongwu taking 5.2 threes per game last season. Bringing Veesaar off the bench could let them play the same style.
3. Trevon Brazile, Denver Nuggets
The playoffs exposed the lack of athleticism on the Denver Nuggets roster. Denver was overwhelmed by the faster Minnesota Timberwolves, who they struggled to defend.
That’s why Brazile could get real minutes with the Nuggets. He’s a hyper-athletic 6-foot-10 forward who puts up highlight-reel dunks, along with big block (1.6 per game) and steal (1.5) numbers. Playing with Nikola Jokic, Brazile could cover some of the Nuggets defensive weaknesses while finishing a number of Jokic lobs.
4. Ryan Conwell, Miami Heat
On a different team, the 6-foot-2 Conwell might spend serious time in the G League working on his good-but-not-great shooting and ball handling. On the Miami Heat, who traded four rotation players in the Giannis Antetokounmpo deal, Conwell could see the court quite a bit.
Conwell fits what the Heat have often looked for in their bench under Erik Spoelstra. He’s a good shooter, he plays extremely hard and he’s strong. It’s similar to what 6-foot-2 Gabe Vincent provided for the Heat in their 2023 NBA Finals run despite going undrafted out of college, which should make Conwell feel better about only dropping to No. 37.
5. Ja’Kobi Gillespie, San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs needed a third point guard, and Gillespie is exactly the kind of competitive, shot-making threat they need. Gillespie is small, standing just under six feet but has an uncanny ability to get to his spots and knock down jumpers. He’s a score-first guard who still averaged 5.2 assists last season and rarely turns the ball over, which should take some pressure off Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper.