The first round of the NBA draft has come and gone without a ton of surprises. The top played out as expected, with AJ Dybantsa headed to the Wizards and Darryn Peterson off to the Jazz. And later in the first, there weren’t many head turners: All 30 picks were in the top 33 of Rookie Scale’s consensus big board, which surveys draft prognosticators across the country. There could be more variety in the second round, especially in the latter half as teams negotiate two-way deals in exchange for getting picked. And the second round isn’t overly strong given the vast majority of those who weren’t out of college eligibility returned without assurances they’d land in the first round.
Still, there’s always value to be found in the second round, whether future stars like Nikola Jokić and Jalen Brunson or simply useful role players who can defend or space the floor at a high level.
