NBA Draft 2012: Sharp-Shooting Sleepers Who Will Make an Immediate Impact
The thing that many of the teams selecting at the end of this year's draft are missing isn't a future MVP or a ubiquitous presence on the All-Star team. A lot of the teams with late picks just need one excellent shooter to come off the bench and give the squad a spark when the first unit is tiring.
Fortunately, there are plenty of potential candidates stocked at the end of this year's board who can fill those kinds of holes.
Here's a look at a few of the players who can provide an immediate offensive boost to teams that are desperately in need of upgrades to their second units.
Jeff Taylor, SF, Vanderbilt
Taylor has everything that a team is looking for in a high-impact sixth man: He's the right size, he plays lock-down defense and he can be lethal from mid-range. He's exactly the type of player you want coming off the bench to eat up minutes and provide some much-needed offense.
In four years at Vanderbilt, Taylor's points-per-game average rose from 12.2 to 16.1. As a senior, he also averaged 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He shot 49.3 percent from the field (as a senior and as a sophomore) and 42.3 percent from three last year—an area in which he has improved monumentally since his sophomore season, when he shot just 9.1 percent.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford rates Taylor as the seventh-best small forward available and currently has him going at No. 28 to the Thunder, which is perhaps one of the only teams in the league that doesn't need a sixth man—they already have the best one in the league in James Harden. In fact, it's hard to believe a player like Taylor is going to fall out of the grasps of teams like the Celtics (Nos. 21 and 22) or even the Heat (No. 27).
Doron Lamb, SG, Kentucky
It will be a crime if Lamb falls out of the first round. He may be a little small at 6'5", and he may have suffered a bit in comparison to his superstar teammates with the Wildcats, but there were few players in the NCAA last season who could hold a candle to his abilities as a shooter.
As a player who is ancient by Kentucky standards—he played two full seasons under John Calipari—Lamb has proven to be an athletic, smooth and, most importantly, consistent shooter with outstanding range.
He never shot less than 47 percent from the field, and he never shot less than 46 percent from three. In 31.2 minutes per game as a sophomore, he averaged 13.2 points, and you might remember that he led all scorers (22 points) in the national championship this year. Clearly, he can show up for the big game.
Aside from his size, there is nothing—absolutely nothing—wrong with Lamb's game. He has the potential to make a huge offensive impact next season, and whatever team picks him up at the end of the first round will be incredibly lucky.
Terrence Ross, SG, Washington
Ross is someone who's no longer an end-of-the-first-round steal; he's managed to push himself all the way up into the lottery in many mocks (here's one), and for good reason. He's the right size at 6'6", he's very athletic and he can be unstoppable from beyond the arc. In fact, if Washington hadn't had such a disappointing year in 2011-12, Ross would probably be considered a top-10 candidate.
Ross shot 45.7 percent from the field during his sophomore year, registering 16.4 points in 31.1 minutes. His shot selection still needs some work, but he's the kind of player who can be devastating to opponents when he gets hot, and he has the competitive spirit of that player who wants to burn you off the bench. On top of that, he's excellent defensively as well.
If Ross is still around when Philly selects at No. 15, it's a no-brainer for them. Especially if Andre Iguodala gets traded, the Sixers are going to need a young player with the potential to contribute big numbers offensively.
