NBA Draft 2018: 5 second-round sleepers ready to play right away

There are always a few guys drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft every year who turn out to be solid rotation players at the next level immediately.

The NBA Draft is an exciting night for just about everyone involved. Players from around the world watch in hopes of hearing their name called on the biggest offseason stage of the sport. It is also a chance for fans everywhere to see where their favorite college players will continue their careers or which newcomers will play a role on the NBA team they root for. With two rounds and 60 total picks, there are bound to be players consistently overlooked in favor of players with “more upside.” While these high-reward picks work out on occasion, some of the best picks in the NBA Draft are those who proved themselves at the college level.

In addition, age almost always factors into a prospect’s draft stock. The younger the player, the more likely they might be to develop into something special. However, these players are rarely able to play important minutes in their first NBA seasons. Because of this, if a team is looking to add just one or two more pieces to their rotation, using a second-round pick on a proven college player with plenty of skill makes sense.

Given this, this article will take a peek at five former college stars that are now looking to live out their NBA dreams. All of these players are either expected to be selected in the second round or go completely undrafted. If your favorite NBA team holds a second-round pick and you want to see a fresh face who can play right away, be on the lookout for a few of these sleepers.

Some of the other prospects I considered for this list I thought were a little too close to being first-round selections, such as Villanova’s Jalen Brunson, SMU’s Shake Milton, and West Virginia’s Jevon Carter.

All statistics for this article were found via Sports-Reference (as always).