9 Young NBA Diamonds in the Rough Discovered This Season
It has to be a good feeling for management to go out and secure that hidden gem—the one everyone else passed on and never chose to look into.
This year, there have been a number of young, breakout contributors who either slipped in or out of a draft, spent time in the D-League and overseas or blossomed before their NBA-ready timetables predicted they could.
These are the guys who've come out of nowhere to prove their NBA worth, which was previously undervalued.
To qualify, each of the following diamonds in the rough has to be 25 years old or younger.
Robert Covington, Philadelphia 76ers, PF
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There was legitimate buzz surrounding Tennessee State's Robert Covington heading into the 2013 draft. The 6'9" stretch forward—a type of player that's always in demand—had earned an invite to the 2013 NBA combine after he finished his college career with 182 made three-pointers at a 42.2 percent clip.
But nobody picked Covington that June.
From there, he went on to crush it in the D-League, where he was the No. 1 pick in its 2014 draft, before the desperate Philadelphia 76ers called him up in November.
I'm not sure who it says more about, but since joining the squad, Covington has emerged as a clear-cut top-three offensive option for the Sixers.
In 28 games, he's scored at least 15 points 11 times. He's already hit 62 threes, 27 more than anyone else on the roster.
As sad as it sounds, the Sixers wouldn't have won eight games without him. Covington has averaged 16.5 points during those victories, and he's the team leader in win shares, per Basketball-Reference.com.
We're probably not talking about the next Wesley Matthews, who never heard his name called in the draft either, but Covington has a skill set that the majority of the league covets.
The fact that he's delivering without much complementary talent speaks to the aura he gives off as a legitimate NBA shot-maker.
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks, SF
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Likely viewed more as a throw-in when dealt to Milwaukee in the Brandon Jennings-Brandon Knight swap, Khris Middleton has gone from being a seat-filler to playing a key supporting role.
He shot 41.4 percent from downtown in 2013-14, and he's right near there once again, shooting 41.1 percent from deep for the potentially playoff-bound Bucks.
Middleton has his limitations, but in a role that allows him to play to his strengths, he's clearly proven he holds some value.
With the ability to spread the floor and knock down shots off screens or off the dribble (37.3 percent in the mid-range, per NBA.com), he's given the Bucks a complementary weapon who can put the ball in the hole.
For what it's worth, he also ranks in the NBA's top 15 in steal percentage, while averaging 1.5 a game in 24.9 minutes.
Considering he was drafted in the second round in 2012 and didn't show anything as a rookie, Milwaukee seems to be getting the maximum bang for the minimum buck it's paying.
Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat, C
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After prematurely leaving Marshall as a one-and-done freshman in 2010 and then falling to the second round, injuring his knee and spending the next three years split between the D-League, China and Lebanon, Hassan Whiteside has finally made it.
He's come out of nowhere to emerge as the Miami Heat's starting center in January, averaging 13.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.5 blocks on 71.7 percent shooting thus far in the month.
At 7'0" with an absurd 7'7" wingspan, Whiteside ultimately makes the hoop look like it's only nine feet high. He's limited offensively, but with all the space he takes up, he gives Miami's guards a monster target off dump passes and pick-and-rolls. Nineteen of his 48 field goals have come on dunks so far, per Basketball-Reference.
But he's also shown some nice touch over the shoulder within five feet.
Defensively, he provides legitimate rim protection. The presence his size and length provide seems to be worth rostering.
We'll continue to monitor Whiteside's progress, considering it's only been a handful of games since his breakout, but given the production he continues to put up, there's room for optimism.
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz, C
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Twenty-six picks went by before Rudy Gobert heard his name called in the 2013 NBA draft.
He was a risk-reward play, with physical tools for days yet not much skill to go with them. Listed at the combine at 7'2" with a 7'8.5" wingspan and a ludicrous 9'7" standing reach, Gobert's sales pitch strictly centered around his eye-opening measurements and mobility.
Luckily for the Jazz, he seems to have a good idea of how to exploit them.
Opponents shoot just 37.7 percent at the rim against Gobert. That's tops in the league amongst defenders who see a minimum of three attempts there per game.
He's first in the NBA in block percentage with the fifth-highest mark ever for a second-year player.
Gobert's interior presence also shows up on the glass, where he ranks in the top 10 in the league in rebounding percentage.
He's no stud offensively, but between his size, length, foot speed and hops, he's good for at least one easy bucket a night, having converted 49 dunks in 39 games while playing just 21 minutes per night.
If Enes Kanter goes elsewhere in restricted free agency, you won't find a better 2015-16 breakout candidate than Gobert.
Shabazz Muhammad, Minnesota Timberwolves, SF
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After falling in the 2013 draft and riding the bench as an NBA rookie, suddenly, it looks the Timberwolves landed themselves a pretty good offensive player.
The vibes were down on Shabazz Muhammad at this time last year. His stock had plummeted steadily from the start of his freshman season at UCLA, when he was viewed as a potential No. 1 pick, to June, when he went No. 14, to 2014, when he couldn't find the floor.
But Muhammad showed up in better physical condition as a sophomore, and he's capitalized on the extra minutes created by injuries and the Kevin Love trade.
As ProBasketballTalk's Dan Feldman pointed out:
"Muhammad underwent intense offseason training, dropping 30 pounds below his weight when he went to the D-League. He says he’s now at 215 pounds, and the difference is noticeable. Muhammad has already dunked 32 times this season, up from seven all of last year, including a couple highlight slams.
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He's averaging 13.7 points—third on the team—on an impressive 48.8 percent field-goal shooting and 41.3 percent from deep.
Muhammad's scoring versatility has stood out the most. He's had 28-point games on 12 made two-pointers (November 30 at Blazers) and 30-point outings while raining threes (December 30 at Jazz, 5-of-6 from downtown).
We've seen him work in the post, spot up from outside, slash from the wing and get out on the break.
He's got his weaknesses, but it's good to see his strengths start coming to life. At just 22 years old, Muhammad should still have some scoring upside for Minnesota to tap into.
Jusuf Nurkic, Denver Nuggets, C
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Even if half the lottery is hurt, I doubt anyone will end up qualifying as a bigger steal than Jusuf Nurkic, the No. 16 pick in 2014. Just a year ago, he was a teenager playing around 16 minutes a game overseas. He's now putting up double-doubles as a starting center in the Western Conference.
He's even allowed the Nuggets to deal Timofey Mozgov, and though the compensation was nice, Nurkic's convincing performance and overall likability had to factor into their decision.
Since December 30, Denver has won five of its seven games in which Nurkic has played at least 21 minutes.
His defensive presence alone seems to have made an impact. He is No. 5 in the NBA in block percentage (minimum 20 games) while averaging 3.2 per game in January.
And just like he did in the Adriatic League abroad in 2013-14, Nurkic is really controlling the glass, averaging 13.0 boards per 36 minutes. He just knows how to use and position that monster 6'11", 280-pound frame.
Offensively, he's a work in progress, but he still finds ways to score down low off finishes and back-to-the-rim improvisation. He's even made 10 of 21 jumpers outside the paint.
Nurkic is ultimately piling up production, and he's not even close to touching the surface of his potential.
I'd imagine that if a redraft of the 2014 class were held next month, Nurkic wouldn't make it out of the top seven.
Justin Holiday, Golden State Warriors, SG/SF
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Justin Holiday has emerged as quite the basketball role model. It's pretty wild to think he started his college career as a freshman back in 2007, and now in 2015, here he is, finally making his debut as an impact NBA player.
Undrafted in 2011 out of Washington, where he never really generated much buzz through four seasons, Holiday spent the last four years in Belgium and the D-League.
Apparently, he learned how to shoot in that time. Holiday hit just 10 threes as a collegiate junior before showing a little more promise as a senior (35.9 percent from behind the arc).
Now, he's shooting 41.5 percent on three-pointers for the Golden State Warriors, who've made him a regular since his 18-point game against the Sacramento Kings on December 22.
Just to put his style of play and performance in perspective, he didn't record one dribble before any of his made buckets that game. So far this season, 67.4 percent of his shots have come off zero dribbles and 14.7 percent have come off one, per NBA.com.
He's evolved into a catch-and-scorer—an opportunistic guy who can finish plays off spots-up, cuts, curls and any other off-ball movement.
"I don't even remember Justin Holiday coming off curls at UW. Amazing how big his role is getting for the Warriors," ESPN Insider's Kevin Pelton, an avid Huskies follower, tweeted earlier this month.
“Wherever I was, I just gave it everything I had,” Holiday told Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News. “I wasn’t like, 'Well, I’m not in the NBA, so it doesn’t matter.' I did everything I could to improve my game every year and then come back the next year for another try.”
Honorable Mention: Andre Roberson, Oklahoma City Thunder, SG/SF
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I would have said you're nuts if you told me a few years back Andre Roberson would start in the NBA. And at shooting guard, no less. Roberson played mostly power forward at Colorado, where he was one of the country's best rebounders.
I think it's safe to assume Oklahoma City's interest in Roberson stems from his defensive tools and versatility.
He holds assignments to 29.8 percent shooting from 15 feet and out and 38.7 percent on two-pointers.
In comparison, Dion Waiters, another 2-guard the Thunder just acquired via trade, lets his man shoot 38.2 percent outside 15 feet and 50.5 percent on twos.
Whether Roberson deserves to start is a separate debate in itself, considering he's just 5-of-39 from downtown, but at 6'7", his ability to lock down wings holds NBA value nobody else cared to look into.
Honorable Mention: Ed Davis, Los Angeles Lakers, PF/C
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Something tells me Ed Davis will attract a little more attention on the free-agent market next time around.
The Los Angeles Lakers picked him up for just $2 million on a two-year deal (second-year player option), a tiny price to pay for rim protection and activity in the paint.
He blocks 1.2 shots per game and finishes at a 61.2 percent clip, rarely attempting anything outside his comfort zone (132-of-217 in the paint, 4-of-5 outside it).
Long and athletic, Davis was a lottery pick in 2010, but he seemed to go missing in Toronto and Memphis before resurfacing in L.A.
I can think of a handful of teams that could use Davis' spark around the rim. As long as his limitations are understood, he's got plenty to offer in an interior-specialist role.
All stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference, RealGM.com, NBA.com
