Five NBA Draft Sleepers

Note: This post has been updated with post-draft comments for each sleeper.

The NBA Draft is usually pretty boring. By and large, the top five picks come and go without many surprises. Especially in a draft like this one with four clear-cut Top 5 guys — Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay.

Side note: I don’t necessarily like all four of those guys, but I think all — maybe with the exception of Mudiay — will go in the Top 5.

Russell and Mudiay aside (neither of whom I like), if Okafor and Towns don’t go one-two, there are serious problems. Those two are by far the best prospects in this draft, and while I’d prefer Okafor to Towns I think both will not only help their respective teams instantly, but for many years to come.

The fun for me is trying to find the value guys, the guys who are being overlooked and underrated. Some of my past sleeper hits include Kawhi Leonard and Draymond Green (how he fell to the second round is a mystery I’ll never solve), though full disclosure I also thought Perry Jones III was the steal of the 2012 Draft…ouch!

This year, though, the middle-to-late first round is very intriguing. There is a lot of talent in this draft, and guys who are being pegged outside the Top 10 and in some cases the lottery would probably go inside the Top 10 or even Top 5 in other seasons. Which means a lot of really good teams have a chance to add to already talented, and in some cases playoff, cores. Here are five guys I love who are being criminally underrated.

Willie Cauley-Stein

How this guy isn’t a Top 5 pick is insane, I think he is the third-best player in the draft after Okafor and Towns and has the ability to not only come in and help a team right away, but become a defensive anchor for years to come. Tyson Chandler is a strong comparison, though he is more athletic and can run with the new-aged smaller lineups the NBA seems to love to trot out.

Most rankings have him as a fringe Top 10 pick and could fall as low as Utah. If he’s there for Indiana to take, combined with the return of Paul George, the East could get a whole lot tougher.

Update: Love the pick for Sacramento. Putting Cauley-Stein next to DeMarcus Cousins would be a nice combination. Then again, the Lakers are open to trading Russell for Cousins, which would give the Kings a nice foundation to build from.

Frank Kaminsky

Of all the players on this list, Kaminsky most needs to wind up on a team that doesn’t require him to start right away. I say that because there is a chance he could wind up being picked in the Top 10 by a team that asks too much of him too soon and I don’t think that’s a good thing.

While financially speaking, falling outside of the lottery might end up hurting him, development-wise landing on a team like Atlanta, Milwaukee, Houston or Washington — his ultimate best fit — would do him wonders. He wouldn’t have to start right away and would compliment already deep post rotations with lights out shooting and elite ball handling for a 7-foot big man. And in Washington his elite three-point shooting would be enhanced by playing with John Wall, who is elite at creating corner threes.

Regardless of where he winds up, Kaminsky will need time to add some strength and adjust to the rigors of playing defense in the NBA. But I’m confident in the age of the stretch offense Kamisnky will be a valuable asset to someone.

Update: I think Charlotte may ask him to do too much too soon. I felt he would fit best in a situation where he'd be the first big off the bench to allow him to adjust to playing defense in the NBA. And if this rumored trade is true, the Hornets are insane.

Jerian Grant

At 6-4 he has solid size for a point guard who can slash to the basket, draw contact, play defense and excels in the pick-and-roll. His jump shot needs work, but if he falls outside of the lottery to any of the aforementioned teams he’d be a great backup point guard. Heck if he fell all the way to Houston he might wind up being a great wing man alongside James Harden one day.

Grant would make a nice security blanket to Wall in Washington, Derrick Rose in Chicago or Kyrie Irving in Cleveland should he fall that far.

Update: Grant almost wound up on one of the teams I suggested, being drafted by the Wizards. But he was shipped to the Knicks in a three-team trade involving the Hawks. He should get a chance to play right away in New York.

Tyus Jones

Currently projected to be a late first-round pick, this kid has all the tools to be an elite point guard. He can shoot, he’s a fantastic passer, strong court vision and frankly jumped out every time I saw Duke play this year. But most scouts say he lacks the physical tools to succeed in the NBA. While that may prove to be true, winding up on an elite team that puts zero pressure on him could work wonders.

Like with Grant, teams looking for a backup point guard are perfect fits. The Bulls seem to work wonders on point guards who are undersized. If not there, Cleveland is a possibility, but while I’d be happy if the Cavs snagged Grant or Jones, something tells me they have other plans for the pick — either a big man or a trade — especially if the Mo Williams rumors are true.

Update: Like with Grant, Jones almost landed on a suggested team, but as I said before the Cavs had other plans with the pick and shipped him to Minnesota for two second-round picks that come with non-guaranteed salaries. Defending Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins combined with incoming rookies Towns and Jones looks to be a solid foundation for the future.

Bobby Portis

I like big guys who are developed offensively because I think it’s easier to learn how to play defense in the NBA than to learn a set of offensive skills. Portis, by all counts — including my brother’s on our latest CLE Talk podcast — is a versatile forward who, at 6-11, can score both inside and outside. Heck, he won SEC Player of the Year.

I didn’t see him play much, but if he’s there past the lottery — which by most draft projections he should be — he could easily help any of the teams I mentioned for Kaminsky, especially Milwaukee or Washington.

Update: Interesting pick by the Bulls, who are blessed with extreme depth in the post (Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic). Don't get me wrong, I think Portis was the best player on the board, but I sense this sets up for a bigger move down the line. Gibson maks the most sense in a trade given the rumors surrounding him at the trade deadline.