Anytime a team like the Charlotte Hornets can find value like they did by selecting the former Nevada Wolfpack 6-foot-5 small forward Cody Martin in the second round of the NBA Draft, it should be lauded. Martin does have that two-way wing potential, and he’s already showing flashes of what he can do just 31 games into his NBA career.
So far this season, Martin is averaging 3.8 points per game, 1.2 assists, and 2.5 rebounds, while shooting around 40 percent from the field. The three-point shooting has to get better for Martin, but that could come with time. He’s shooting just 20 percent from beyond the arc. But he is one of the leaders among rookie second round picks in win shares this season (0.5).
Some of the names on this list are here thanks to flashes they’ve shown this season over a sample size of at least five or 10 games, or they are showing a lot of maturity in their game early on. The former is the case with the Warriors rookie 6-foot-10 power forward/center and Serbia native Alen Smailagic.
This was great value that the Warriors found in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft, since they nabbed Smailagic at No. 39 overall. That came one spot after the Chicago Bulls selected Gafford last year. In nine games played this season, Smailagic is averaging 4.7 points per game, 2.4 rebounds, and about one assist while shooting 55.2 percent from the field and 80 percent from the charity stripe.