5 Steals Of The 2014 NBA Draft

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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Cleanthony Early, Small Forward, Wichita State: The former Wichita State forward was expected to go anywhere from 14-24 in the first round. His scoring ability from the perimeter and interior was strong, and he rebounded well for his position. He also plays both ends of the court, as he is as much a capable defender as he is scorer.

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 34^th 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: Clarkson was another second-round pick that made a surprising tumble down draft boards on draft night. The athletic combo-guard put on great performances in the pre-draft process, but still found himself waiting to have his name called until the 16^th pick in the second round.

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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: Harris falling to the 19^th pick in the first round was one of the bigger surprises on the night. The Denver Nuggets will reap the benefits of that slide, getting Harris in a trade with the Chicago Bulls.

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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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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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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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Prospect Examination: Kyle Anderson

He entered UCLA  with many High School awards—The Star-Ledger New Jersey Player of the Year (2012), 2× New Jersey Tournament of Champions (2011–2012), 2× New Jersey Non-Public B state title (2011–2012), Parade All-American (2012), McDonald's All-American (2012), Jordan Brand Classic (2012), The Star-Ledger All-Sophomore/Freshman third team (2009 and IS8/Nike Spring H.S. Classic Freshman of the Tournament (2009). All those were the achievements for UCLA sophomore Kyle Anderson, many were against him going pro believing he should've stayed another or all four but he decided to go against.

"Kyle is totally prepared mentally to come out,” Kyle Anderson Sr. said. "He knows he’ll have to get adjusted to the rigors and physicality of the NBA but mentally he’s always been a little more mature than the average age he’s at. His approach to the game right now is that of a person who knows this is going to be my job, this is going to be my livelihood."

Some may or may not know this but the reason why Anderson committed to UCLA over Georgetown, Seton Hall, Florida and St. John's is because of then Bruins head coach Ben Howland.  Howland had gained a respectable reputation for producing successful Point Guards in the NBA (i.e. Russell Westbrook, Jordan Farmar, Darren Collison and Jrue Holiday) but under Howland, Andersen played Power Forward.  UCLA would eventually fire Howland due to lack of wins and disciplinary action against Reeves Nelson and replaced him with Steve Alford.  The coaching changed led to Anderson being switched to a position that he was more accustomed to playing.....the position of point guard.

Anderson struggled his freshmen year since he also played with the lone senior on the team Larry Drew II, who transferred to UCLA after being with North Carolina for the previous three seasons. Despite his struggles as a freshmen he was able to win All-Pac-12 second team (2013) and Pac-12 All-Freshman team (2013).

Kyle Anderson's father Klye Anderson Sr., a longtime basketball coach in New Jersey felt "offended" when Howland played his son as a front court player since he wanted his son to be a Point Guard since he was the years old. It's not the first time his father has been upset with the position his son played, back in High School he was played as a Shooting Guard and was upset by that.

When Alford took over the coaching reigns he must've been jubilant with joy as his son had the opportunity to play the position he was groomed to play since his childhood. Alford said, "He's very unique. A 6-9 point guard that facilitates the way he can. He's a nightmare to match up with."

Looking at his stats:

Freshmen year - 9.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.9 blocks and 1.8 steals while shooting 41.6% (FG%), 21.1% (3P%) and 73.5% (FT%) in 29.9 minutes of action.

Sophomore year - 14.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 0.8 blocks, 1.8 steals with his shooting being 48.0% (FG%), 48.3% (3P%) and 73.7% (FT%) in 33.2 minutes.

The improvement is evident from season-to-season with Anderson and in his sophomore campaign he was a finalist for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, Naismith College Player of the Year, John R. Wooden Award, and Bob Cousy Award which is awarded annually to the best Point Guard in the nation. He didn't win that award but was named to the Associated Press third team All-American (2014), Sporting News third team All-American (2014), All-Pac-12 first team (2014), NABC first-team All-District 20 (2014), USBWA first team All-District IX (2014), Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2014) and Las Vegas Invitational Most Valuable Player (2014).

On November 22, 2013, Anderson had 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists which was the first triple-double by a UCLA Bruin since Toby Bailey in 1995. He was suspended on January 27th due to violating team rules and also became the only PAC-12 and Division 1 player in history to have 500+ points, 300+ rebounds and 200+ assists in a season. 

Anderson has gained the nickname "Slow-Mo" due to his lack of speed with his 6'9" 230-pound frame. If he wants to play Point Guard in the NBA then he will need to slim down this summer, having that nickname is a very bad thing because most players in the association are fast enough at their respective positions and there are huge question marks as to what position Anderson will play and whichever team drafts him will experiment with his talent and body during the Summer League. Anderson obviously also lacks later quickness (should've put more effort into defensive sides) and will become a defensive liability against his opponent as he is also missing athleticism and strength. His offensive stats make him look lottery material but watching him play on the other-side of the court make him a late or 2nd round pick; to be fair he did have a defensive rating of 95.4 which was ninth in the conference and win shares of 206 which is good enough for sixth in the PAC-12.

"His strengths outweigh his negatives," An NBA scout said. "Very skilled, perimeter shooting has improved and can rebound. Lack of defense and pace of game can be hidden by a good team with defensive concepts. Could end up being a Top 15 pick."

In the NBA he will struggle with creating his own shot as he lacks the explosiveness and athletic ability to do so. His jumpshot is decent for now but isn't a reliable weapon which will lead teams to sag off of him and treat him like Rajon Rondo, daring him to shoot. But since the Point Guard spot is a position he might play then he will mainly be judged on his leadership skills as we will be picked apart as to how well he can run a team as the floor general. The 20-year old needs more guidance to play the one position as he averaged 3.1 turnovers per game.

Kyle Anderson is one of the most intriguing players in the draft this year as he is great two-way player, but the thing with him is that he has height of Small Forward/Power Forward, weight of a Small Forward but the skills of a Point Guard. It's quite clear that he doesn't have clear cut position but is a basketball player and will be utilized someway somehow. When you think about it, Anderson will become one of few "Point Forwards" in the NBA joining LeBron James, Gordon Hayward, Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant. I'm not saying he'll be as good as though players because he doesn't have anything close to the talent they posses.

"He’s a big guy and I’m not for sure what position he would be in the league, I’m not sure he could play the point," New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler said. "But just like the kid out of Syracuse is showing, Michael Carter-Williams, showing that big guys can still play the point and still have a place in this league….It just depends on how [Anderson] continues to develop."

The pre-draft workouts will be crucial to Anderson's draft stock as many scouts are confused on him as a player and worried about his negatives more than his positives. The best thing for him is to get drafted low in the draft to a team with a identity and is accustomed to winning because going to a losing team would hurt his career before it even began. Sorry Dick Vitale but he isn't the next Magic Johnson, Royce White is the most realistic comparison for Anderson.

"I honestly don’t see him lasting more than a few years in the league," an NBA scout said. "though I’ve talked to other scouts that really like him. I just think his offense will take a step back once he gets to the NBA, and his inability to defend is really going to hurt him."      

NBA Comparison: Royce White

Best fits: Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors

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