FanPost

2013 NBA Draft Second Round Preview

In this year's draft, the Sixers have two second round picks, at 35 and 42. It has been discussed ad nauseum their newfound purpose with Sam Hinkie in charge. But I'd like to take a look specifically at a few guys who I would love for the Sixers to target.

Archie Goodwin

He came into Kentucky with the hopes of again leading a team of freshman to NCAA tournament success. Obviously, this was not the case, with Kentucky's first round NIT loss to Robert Morris. However, he entered the NBA Draft, and is projected to go in the early to mid second round, and I would love to see him in a Sixers jersey. Now keep in mind that he is incredibly raw, and is one of the youngest players in this year's draft. He would clearly be a project, but a worthwhile one if the Sixers deem him worthy.

The main thing I love about his game is his penchant for driving to the hoop. He had 7 games where he attempted more than 10 free throws, which makes me salivate after watching nightmarishly inefficiently long twos. While he is not especially strong, he has incredible quickness that could transfer to the NBA. However, his ability to drive in the association will be determined by his jump shot. Simply put, he does not have an NBA ready jump shot. Therefore, defenders will back off of him to give him that shot, denying his ability to drive effectively. On the other side of the ball, he leaves some to be desired, but his raw athleticism, and the fact that he's only 18 (!!) inspire me with hope for improvement.

All in all, I'd love to see Archie Goodwin picked by us in the second round. I don't see him being in the rotation immediately, and would almost rather see him start out in Delaware in the D-League, but I just love his fearless attacks to the basket and the fact that he is the antithesis of the shooting guards of last season.

Andre Roberson

Unlike Goodwin, Roberson does not have raw, untapped potential. But again, unlike Goodwin, Roberson shows a maturity and an NBA readiness that I would love to see come off the bench for us.

Some of my favorite players are long, athletic wings that can defend, rebound, and be very efficient on the court (Jimmy Butler, Chandler Parsons, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Lance Stephenson - AKA Heaven's starting 5). I think that Roberson could join that group in a few years. Looking at his highlight tape, he looks like a big, gangly goofball. But he can rebound, defend, and plays with a constant high energy. With the success of those guys listed above, and acknowledging guys like Kenneth Faried, the ability to rebound and defend at a high energy usually transitions to the NBA very well. It doesn't mean Roberson will ever become LeBron; it does mean that he can provide solid minutes for a very good team, just like the guys I named. Nbadraft.net compared him to Matt Barnes, which gives me hope that he will be a solid role player that will always contribute.

Colton Iverson

Is it awesome that is name is Iverson? Yes. Could he still be a solid big man and take away minutes from the black hole that is Spencer Hawes? Oh yeah.

Colorado State is not known for churning out NBA studs, but Iverson can rebound and can score down low. He averaged 13.5 rebounds in an adjusted per-40 minute clip, and although he doesn't have blazing speed, he is surprisingly adept at finishing with both hands around the rim. I see him as a poor man's Kelly Olynyk, and would much rather take Iverson at 42 than Olynyk at 11. In fact, Iverson has a wingspan of 7' 2", compared to Olynyk's underwhelming 6' 9.75". Iverson could be very productive as a big off the bench, and could provide us with great value late in the second round.

In this draft, stars are few and far between. But for a rebuilding team like the Sixers, solid role players will make the job of remaking this team a lot easier, especially if they are found in the second round. So hopefully, our undying trust for Sam Hinkie pays off, and we get Rockets-type production out of our second round picks.

A user-created LB joint. The Liberty Ballers staff does not contribute to FanPosts.