The past two years of the NBA Draft didn’t have many big names that emerged out of the second round. But there were surely a number of value picks that are having early impacts on their respective new NBA teams. A noteworthy name that fits the bill here is the former Oregon Ducks star Dillon Brooks.
In two years with the Memphis Grizzlies, Brooks is having a huge impact off the bench. This past regular season, Brooks shot better than 37 percent from three-point range and he shoots roughly 44 percent from the field for his career in general.
The Chicago Bulls tried to go with the former Boise State Broncos wing Chandler Hutchison to fill the role of small forward in the rotation in the 2018 NBA Draft at pick No. 22. Yet, landing Brooks would likely do more for the Bulls than Hutchison did during his rookie campaign.
The best part about the stat line of Brooks is his career true shooting percentage, around 53 percent. Memphis can try to start the rebuild from the rotation outward, and Brooks could be a key piece. He still has not emerged as the best player, or even close, out of the 2017 NBA Draft class. But he is excelling compared to the expectations the Grizz had to have for his role.