5 Steals Of The 2014 NBA Draft
Posted by Kenneth Teape on Monday, July 14, 2014 with No comments
Written by Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)
The 2014 NBA Draft was one of the deeper ones in recent
memory. With so many talented players, there was undoubtedly going to be some
players that fell further down the draft board than originally expected. Those
players would become steals for the teams in which laps they fell into. Here
are the five biggest steals from the 2014 NBA Draft.
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| axs.com |
Cleanthony Early, Small
Forward, Wichita State Wichita
State
The only negative that people had would be his transition
from college power forward to NBA small forward, with his ball handling being
the only thing holding him back. It also caused his falling into the second
round, where the New York Knicks picked him up with the 34th pick.
The rest of the NBA’s loss will be the Knicks gain as they finally have a small
forward option behind Carmelo Anthony, who is returning to the team.
Early will have a chance to learn from one of the best
scoring and rebounding small forwards in recent NBA history, and have the
ability to grow as a player without immense pressure of a high pick. Sure he
would have rather went earlier, but this is a strong landing spot for the
former Shocker.
Early should have a role right from the start with the
Knicks as a reserve wing. He fills a huge hole the Knicks had, as Iman Shumpert,
J.R. Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. can stop being played out of position and back
to their normal spots in the backcourt. If given the chance to grow, which he
should have with the Knicks, Early has a chance to become a more than solid
contributor at the NBA level.
Jordan Clarkson, Point Guard , Missouri
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| Jeff Roberson/Associated Press |
Clarkson needs to continue on developing his jump shot, but
he should have plenty of chances to grow as he landed on the Los Angeles
Lakers. The Lakers are desperate for a youth infusion, especially in the
backcourt, and Clarkson should help with that.
He has excellent ball-handling skills, and can score from
anywhere on the court. Even with the lack of a consistent jump shot, his size
and athleticism combination from the point guard position gives him a big edge.
With a roster in transition, the Lakers have found
themselves a strong piece to get them back to relevance. Clarkson should come
in and be productive right away and see plenty of minutes on a Lakers team with
very few other options.
Gary Harris, Shooting
Guard, Michigan State
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| Getty Images |
Harris is one of the only true two-way players in this
draft. Offensively, he is strong and physical. He may be a little undersized,
but he finishes at the rim with great efficiency because of good athleticism
coupled with his physicality. He can score from the mid-range as well, with the
only knock being his jump shot is a little streaky. It is a problem that can be
fixed, but if he continued attacking the way he’s capable of it should not
hinder him much.
Defensively, Harris is just as strong. His motor is always
running, as he never takes plays off on either side of the court. His size
hinders him slightly defensively, but he does not back down and sticks with it.
He will have an opportunity to grow in his first season
behind the recently acquired Arron Afflalo, who is one of the better two-way
guards in the NBA currently. Harris can learn from him and is in a great
situation with the Nuggets.
Kyle Anderson, Forward,
UCLA: This was too perfect a pick and is arguably the biggest steal in this
draft. The point-forward from UCLA landed in the perfect situation with the San
Antonio Spurs. This landing spot will be what makes Anderson
into a lengthy career veteran instead of a three-year flame out.
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| Jayne Kamin-Oncea - USA TODAY Sports |
The Spurs have the perfect mentor on the team already in
Boris Diaw, as Anderson is
essentially a Diaw clone. The versatility Anderson
has will be a huge asset to the Spurs and the system they employ under Gregg
Popovich. Like Diaw, Anderson possesses
excellent court vision and has a sneaky offensive game. He is strong at the
mid-range, but also has a vastly improving three-point shot that is becoming a
strength.
He has some things to work on, as his athleticism and
quickness are not strengths. This causes him at times to be a liability on
defense, as he cannot keep up with the smaller, quicker players he is sometimes
forced to guard against.
Another thing people will point out as a negative is the
unique qualities he has as a player, but that is irrelevant here. The Spurs are
the perfect system for him, and he should succeed right away given the support
group there and the way he plays. This was a perfect landing spot for Anderson
and makes him a big sleeper to succeed.
Marcus Smart, Point
Guard, Oklahoma State and Julius Randle,
Power Forward Kentucky:
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| Brody Schmidt/AP Photo |
These two make the list as not exactly the exact
definition of a sleeper or steal, but as players who will surely out perform
their draft slot. With a draft this loaded, players are surely to fall and
these are two that slipped a little bit. The Boston Celtics and Lakers, two
storied franchise in a hole right now, will benefit and kick start their
rebuilds.
For Smart, he has a great chance to learn from Rajon Rondo,
if the Celtics do indeed keep them. Neither are strong shooters, but the
tenacity both bring attacking the basket and on defense, head coach Brad
Stevens can make it work.
Randle will have an opportunity to play right away with the
Lakers lacking many assets and Pau Gasol leaving this offseason. He is easily
the most talented big man on the roster, and his work ethic and playing style
should endear himself to the uber-talented and competitive Kobe Bryant.
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| Robert Deutsch - USA TODAY Sports |
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