2013 NBA Draft Picks Already Looking Like Huge Steals Before Next Season

One inevitability associated with the 2013 NBA draft, just like every selection process before it, is that steals will emerge from the 60 new additions to the Association. Thanks to the summer league, both the Orlando and Las Vegas portions, we've already gotten a head start identifying these gems. 

It's important to include a grain of salt when dealing with summer league action, though. Use a whole handful if you'd like.

Basketball history is littered with standouts from this talent showcase who have flopped when actual play begins.

Anyone remember Josh Selby last year? 

However, it's all we have to work with right now, and it does indeed offer a significantly higher level of competition that these players faced either in college or overseas. Summer league performances don't always translate to the next level, but we can still glean some valuable information from the proceedings.

So far, seven players have emerged as likely candidates to exceed the expectations that historically go hand in hand with their draft slot. From one lottery pick to some second-round selections, these guys have taken advantage of their opportunities and passed the eye tests with flying colors.

This doesn't include players like Jackie Carmichael, who have impressed but weren't technically draft picks since they went undrafted. 

Please also note that the players are ranked based upon their ability to exceed expectations based on summer league play. These are not overall rankings of the players. 

7. Ray McCallum

Team: Sacramento Kings

Position: PG

Draft Pick: No. 36

Summer League Stats: 12.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.2 steals, 0.4 blocks

Ray McCallum has used his big body and cerebral play to thrive during summer league on both ends of the court. 

Perhaps most impressive is the manner in which he plays, something that really can't be expressed with numbers. The former Detroit standout (the college, not the professional team) carries himself remarkably well, always looking confident and smooth when the ball is in his hands. 

He's also been one of the few players able to maintain complete control of the rock. Turnover problems run rampant in Las Vegas, but McCallum only coughed it up 2.4 times per contest, topping out at four against the Toronto Raptors. 

While McCallum has struggled with his mid-range jumper and was given fits by the quickness of Dennis Schroeder, the positives still outweigh the negatives. He looks every bit the part of a first guard off the bench, and it's tough to ask for much more from a second-round draft pick.

6. Peyton Siva

Team: Detroit Pistons (kind of)

Position: PG

Draft Pick: No. 56

Summer League Stats: 7.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 3.0 steals

Only Cedric Jackson, Michael Carter-Williams, Dwight Buycks and Phil Pressey recorded more assists per game than Peyton Siva during the Orlando Summer League. That's a solid group to be in for the No. 56 pick in the 2013 NBA draft, and he'd look even better if it weren't for a two-dime outing in a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics. 

It took a while for Siva's scoring stroke to get going, but he averaged 10.5 points per game during the last two contests on the slate. The Louisville product is never going to be a top-notch scorer, although it was at least encouraging that he found a way to get the ball in the basket. 

The tricky thing about Siva is that he might not be playing for the Detroit Pistons now that his summer league experience has ended. Even though they control his rights, they haven't signed him. 

Detroit has Brandon Knight, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Chauncey Billups, Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum on the roster already, so there isn't room for another guard. General manager Joe Dumars could try to clear up a roster spot through a trade, but that appears unlikely. 

Siva has shown off his great defensive instincts—3.0 steals per game leading the summer league—and ability to control half-court sets, but that hasn't led to a contract yet. Once it does, regardless of the team with which he lands, he'll truly be able to show just how much of a steal he was near the end of the second round. 

5. James Ennis

Team: Miami Heat

Position: SF

Draft Pick: No. 50

Orlando Summer League Stats: 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks

Las Vegas Summer League Stats: 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.1 blocks

It doesn't matter which side of the country James Ennis has played on. He's looked good in both Orlando and Las Vegas. 

His best game was his last: a 25-point outing against the Phoenix Suns in a 91-89 loss. Ennis also recorded nine rebounds and an assist, and he shot 8-of-17 from the field. It was a game that simply showed all the tools at his disposal. 

A lanky wing player with great athletic abilities, Ennis runs the floor well and should eventually settle in as a great "3 and D" player. 

The three-ball was working throughout the Las Vegas portion of his summer, as the Long Beach State product drained 42.9 percent of his attempts. Defense was present as well, although it's often hard to tell just how effective defenders are against the turnover-prone summer league slate. 

Ennis should make the Miami roster, but it remains to be seen just how much playing time he'll get during his rookie season.

4. Mason Plumlee

Team: Brooklyn Nets

Position: PF/C

Draft Pick: No. 22

Summer League Stats: 13.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.4 blocks

The highlight of Mason Plumlee's experience in Orlando was undoubtedly this ridiculous posterization of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. He showed off his handles, dribbling the ball up the court in transition, then engaged in a simultaneous display of skill and explosiveness, spinning through the defense and slamming the ball home. 

Plumlee was inconsistent during his summer league experience, but the lows weren't particularly detrimental and the highs were remarkable. 

In his first outing, he recorded a double-double, putting up 10 points (two of which were described above) and 14 rebounds while missing only two shots from the field. The next day he was a perfect 8-of-8 against the Miami Heat, totaling 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

The most promising sign has been Plumlee's ability to work with his back to the basket. He spent his final season at Duke developing his post-up game, and it was apparent throughout the big man's time in Orlando.

If Plumlee has an exceptional rookie season, which he very well could thanks to his athleticism and self-aware play, the Brooklyn Nets only get even more deep and dangerous.  

3. Kelly Olynyk

Team: Boston Celtics

Position: C

Draft Pick: No. 13

Summer League Stats: 18.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.4 blocks

Few players looked more impressive than Kelly Olynyk during Orlando Summer League. 

No one could slow down his offensive game, as the rookie out of Gonzaga brutalized defenses in a variety of ways. He was hitting his mid-range jumpers consistently, diving to the rim in transition and torturing inexperienced big men with his variety of post moves. 

Just take a look at Olynyk's footwork during the very first play contained in the highlight video embedded above. After one back-down dribble, he shows off a convincing pump fake then goes under the defender for an easy look at the basket. 

At 0:29, you can see him take the ball at the top of the key and drive to the rack for a nice left-handed finish. 

No matter what the Boston Celtics big man was asked to do offensively, he was able to impress. Defense and physicality remain question marks, but Olynyk is already capable of scoring against NBA defenders. 

Even though he was a lottery pick, he's looked stellar enough that he has serious steal potential.

2. Reggie Bullock

Team: Los Angeles Clippers

Position: SG/SF

Draft Pick: No. 25

Summer League Stats: 18 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks

Reggie Bullock has used the Las Vegas Summer League to prove that he can function as a scoring threat at the professional level. He was drafted to bolster the outside shooting of the Los Angeles Clippers, but he's been much more than just a perimeter sniper early on. 

Those 18 points per game leave Bullock as the 10th-leading scorer in Vegas, and he's put up those numbers without hitting consistently from the outside. In fact, the North Carolina product has hit only 28.1 percent of his shots from behind the three-point arc.

The stroke from downtown still looks good, leading me to believe that Bullock is just suffering a bit of a shooting slump. If anything, it's been a positive because the swingman has been able to show off a more well-rounded nature to his offensive game. 

Once the shot starts falling, Bullock will be capable of taking on a large scoring role. That won't be his job with the Clippers, though, which means that he'll be even more potent in small doses. 

The Clippers have had a fantastic offseason, and drafting Bullock appears to be one of the best moves. 

1. Dennis Schroeder

Team: Atlanta Hawks

Position: PG

Draft Pick: No. 17

Summer League Stats: 10.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.6 steals

Could we be looking at the NBA's next great point guard?

Dennis Schroeder drew some comparisons to Rajon Rondo heading into the 2013 NBA draft, and he lived up to them throughout the Atlanta Hawks' summer league schedule. His passing was phenomenal, giving the German floor general complete control over the action whenever the ball was in his hands.

In fact, only Dwight Buycks averaged more assists per game in Orlando. 

With his court vision, finishing ability and ridiculously quick first step, Schroeder excelled in pick-and-roll sets. He was able to score if the defense didn't collapse, and his passes found their targets whenever it did. Take a look at the plays starting at 0:16 and 0:46 to see what I mean. 

There should no longer be any doubts about Schroeder's NBA readiness, as he looks fully capable of challenging Jeff Teague for minutes in the Hawks backcourt. He was only getting better as a scorer as summer league progressed. 

In fact, it's already time to give him a nickname.

How about "Nintendo?" It's a play off both his name (think about it, since his initials are DS) and his video-game quickness.

Let's make it stick.