NBA Draft 2012: Mid-Major Prospects Who Will Be Second-Round Steals
We know Damian Lillard is ready to represent for Weber State and mid-major schools everywhere by being selected in the top 10, but don't forget about the other guys.
Small schools, big games.
We saw it last year with Kenneth Faried out of Morehead State and, to a lesser extent, Norris Cole out of Cleveland State. This year, there are just as many enticing mid-major options, but it appears most will come out of the second round.
Let's take a look at the most intriguing ones.
Drew Gordon, PF, New Mexico
If I were to describe my feelings toward Gordon, "man-crush" would probably be near the top of the list.
The 6'9" power forward resembles Faried in the fact that he's a blue-collar worker. It's not like he has elite size, but Gordon is one of the best rebounders in the nation, as evidenced by his 11.1 boards per game.
He's extremely active on both the offensive and defensive glass, and as a result often grabbed rebounds far out of his area. There will always be a place in the NBA for strong players who know how to box out and shed opponents' box outs.
Even if Gordon were just a rebounder, he would be able to make a significant contribution right away, but he's also fairly solid on offense.
He has good moves around the basket and a solid little mid-range jumper. I would say his offensive game is even further along than Faried's.
An aggressive rebounder with a middling offensive game isn't such a bad pick in the early- or mid-second round.
Kevin Murphy, SG, Tennessee Tech
If there's a team looking for someone who can come off the bench and provide instant offense, nabbing Kevin Murphy sometime in the second round would be an easy way to acquire a player of such nature.
Sure, he didn't go up against elite competition, but the 6'6" Murphy can absolutely fill it up. He averaged 20.6 points per game while shooting 44 percent from the field and 41.6 (2.4 makes per game) from deep.
He's a volume shooter, yes, and it will sometimes get ugly when his shot isn't falling, but isn't that also true with guys like J.R. Smith, Jordan Crawford, Nick Young, etc.?
Murphy (195 pounds) could use some added bulk to help him score better on the inside, but his array of moves and fakes help him be efficient from inside the arc. Add that to his terrific shooting ability, and Murphy can easily score 10 to 12 points per game off the bench, depending where he lands.
If Gordon can make a Faried-like impact, then Murphy can produce in a similar fashion to MarShon Brooks.
Scott Machado, PG, Iona
Kendall Marshall gets all the attention as the best pure point guard, and while he's deserving of that honor, Machado doesn't quite get enough credit.
The dynamic point guard from Iona played in a high-tempo offense, yes, but that doesn't mean his 9.9 assists (compared to just 3.3 turnovers) per game isn't incredibly impressive.
In addition to his court vision and passing ability, which is only second in this draft to Marshall, Machado has a decent scoring game. He averaged 13.5 points per game for the Gaels while shooting an impressive 49.5 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from long range.
Machado doesn't have great size or elite athleticism, but he's quick and he has a very high basketball-IQ. He won't light up the NBA, but he's going to be a very good backup point guard with the potential to start for a long time.
All in all, he's just a very solid role player who knows what he's doing and will help teams win games.
In order to stay with the theme, if you were to compare Machado to a 2011 rookie, it would likely be Charles Jenkins.
