Five second round picks that will hang around the league

The second round of the NBA Draft is, more or less, simply a chance for some lesser college stars to have their one, last chance at seeing their names on TV.

The NBA is not an easy league to make. There are a limited number of roster spots available and an even more limited number of spots in an NBA rotation. Making a team without getting a guaranteed contract through the draft is tough.

But it can be done. There are many stories of players that have carved out terrific careers despite falling out of the guaranteed money. Gilbert Arenas and Manu Ginobli were both picked in the second round. So were Michael Redd, Monta Ellis, Carlos Boozer, Stephen Jackson, and Rashard Lewis. Those are, or recently have been, stars in the NBA.


Finding a diamond in the rough like that is rare. But finding a solid starter in the second round does happen fairly often. Last year, it was Landry Fields out of Stanford going to the New York Knicks. The year before that, both Sam Young and DeJuan Blair fell to the second round after leaving Pitt. Before that, Paul Millsap, Trevor Ariza, and Mo Williams beat the odds to make it in the league.

It can be done.

Sometimes its simply the result of a fortunate pairing between franchise, player, and available roles. Other times, its the result of fears about a player's injury history that causes him to drop. There are times when a draft is loaded with border-line first round picks, causing players to go 45th that would usually be picked 25th. There are also times where a front office does their homework and finds a guy that has flown under-the-radar.

Landing in the second round shouldn't be seen as a disappointment to these players.

It should be seen as an opportunity to make the other 29 teams regret their draft day decisions.

Who in the 2011 NBA Draft Class will have an extended NBA career as a second round pick?

Jimmy Butler, Marquette: There is nothing about Butler's game that makes him appear to be an NBA prospect. He's a capable shooter, but not a significant three point threat from NBA range. He's a decent ball-handler, but he won't blow by you to get to the rim. He's a solid athlete with good size, but he won't be making Sportscenter's top ten. What makes Butler a promising prospect is the fact that he is a tough defender, a terrific teammate and leader in the locker room, a willing role player, and a guy that can do a little bit of everything. Throw in the success that former teammates Wes Matthews and Lazar Hayward have had landing a spot in the NBA and the rave reviews he received at the Portsmouth Invitational, and Butler appears headed for an NBA career. He certainly deserves it.

Charles Jenkins, Hofstra: Jenkins was a big-time scorer at the college level, thriving on his ability to shoot from beyond the arc and create space in the mid-range game. The problem is that those numbers came against CAA competition, which is a much improved league but still a far cry from the NBA. Regardless of who he is playing against, however, Jenkins is going to be able to shoot and score. He won't be a starter in the NBA, but the fact that he was able to score at the rate he did (22.6 ppg) while taking more than 20 shots just three times, creating for his teammates (4.8 apg), and protecting the ball (2.2 t/o's) makes him an ideal candidate as a scoring infusin


JaJuan Johnson, Purdue: Johnson's physical profile is terrific. He's a legit 6'10" with a 7'2" wingspan, he's exceptionally mobile for a player his height, and he has a 38" vertical. He also has a versatile skill-set. He can block a shot at one end and beat his defender down the floor for an open dunk. If that's not there, he can knock down 20 foot jumpers, use his dribble to get a better look should his defender close out long, and score in the post using his advanced repertoire of finesse moves. The knock on Johnson is that he has a slender upper body that will be difficult to add much mass or strength to. While that will limit his upside, his tools and skill-set should earn him a spot in the rotation of a team that likes to run the floor and pick-and-pop.

Josh Selby, Kansas: Selby is quite possibly the most unique prospect in this draft class. Coming out of high school, he was considered one of the top five recruits in the country. An explosive perimeter scorer, Selby's freshman season at Kansas was largely forgettable. He battled injuries (a broken hand in the preseason, a stress fracture late in the year), a suspension, and a role that didn't suit his skill set. As a result, he numbers were far from impressive this year. But that doesn't mean that the talent that garnered him so much attention in high school is gone, especially now that he is healthy.

Nolan Smith, Duke: I am a big fan of Nolan Smith's game. He proved this season just what he is capable at the collegiate level when he is the focal point offensively, winning ACC player of the year and finding himself in the conversation for national player of the year before a late slump. But until Kyrie Irving injured his foot, Smith also showed just how good of a role player he can be, ignoring his individual successes and exposure in exchange for winning games with the Blue Devils. Smith can do everything on a basketball court. He can shoot the three, he can beat a defender off the dribble, he can play on the ball or off, and he's a very good defender.

Bold Prediction: DeAndre Liggins, Kentucky: Liggins did not have a great career at Kentucky. As a freshman, he almost left the program due to his lacking relationship with former head coach Billy Gillispie. As a sophomore, in his first year under John Calipari, Liggins struggled to find a role on a team that was stacked with five future first round picks. But as a junior, Liggins really began to come into his own as a player. He embraced the idea that he was a defensive stopper. At 6'6" with length and lateral quickness, Liggins has the potential to guard all three perimeter positions. Throw in his ability to knock down catch-and-shoot jumpers, and I would be surprised if Liggins wasn't able to find a role on an NBA team somewhere.
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NBA Draft Profiles: Charles Jenkins, Hofstra

Bjorn Zetterberg of SwishScout.com will be helping us out with all of our NBA Draft Profiles this year. You can follow him on twitter @swishscout.

To browse through the latest prospect profiles, click here. To see a complete list of the players we have profiled, click here.

Stats: 22.6 ppg, 4.8 apg, 3.4 rpg, 2.2 t/o's, 1.7 spg, 42.0 3PT%

Age: 22, senior

Size:

• Listed: 6'3", 220 lb
• Official: 6'1.5" (no shoes), 6'3.25" (with shoes), 6'7.5" (wingspan), 8'0.5" (reach), 216 lb

Strengths: There is a lot to like about Charles Jenkins' game. First and foremost, he can flat out score the basketball. He's a deadeye three-point shooter at 42.0%. A crafty ball-handler, Jenkins is quicker than he is fast, which allows him to create space for his mid-range jumper, which was a real weapon for him this season. He can get all the way to the rim, but he's not really explosive enough to finish amongst the trees at the NBA level. There are two things I really like about Jenkins after this past season -- he only turned the ball over 73 times despite playing 37.3 mpg as Hofstra's primary ball-handler and scorer. He also averaged 4.8 apg and showed terrific shot selection, which are good signs for his future as a point guard in the NBA. He averaged 22.6 ppg, but he only took 20 or more shots three times. Two of those instances were overtime games, one of which he scored 40 points on a season-high 22 shots. I'll take that.

Weaknesses: Athleticism. Jenkins is never going to be a guy that can blow by his defender. He's never going to be a player that can consistently finish above and around the rim. At 6'3" on a good day, Jenkins is going to have to, at the very least, play a role as a combo-guard, and most of the successful combo-guards you see today in the NBA are guys like Jeff Teague, Aaron Brooks, and Monta Ellis -- long, lanky scorers that are impressive athletes. You might have been able to infer it from that last comment, but the biggest question mark involving Jenkins is whether or not he can actually be a point guard at the next level.

Comparisons:

• Best Case Scenario: Willie Green. Jenkins has a little more grit and toughness, but an extremely similar type game and build as the former University of Detroit standout. Natural, yet slightly undersized, scoring guards who can get fill it up if you them the ball as a complimentary type scorers and shooters on the floor to a star. An interesting comparison I've seen is OJ Mayo. Mayo, who was supposed to be a superstar in the league, has become a role-player and a jump shooter for a playoff team in the Grizzlies.


• Worst Case Scenario: Ronald Murray. Flip was a guy who could come in off the bench and bring you aggressive scoring in spurts. Jenkins is better shooter from 3, but if things don’t work like the former Shaw University star, expect Jenkins to have a similar up and down career, journeyman type career.

Outlook: Like a number of players in this draft, whether or not Jenkins develops into a starter in the NBA is going to depend on whether or not he can develop some better point guard instincts. Yes, he averaged 4.8 apg and just 2.2 t/o's, but Jenkins was and always has been a score-first player. That certainly is not a bad thing, as he can really fill it up when he gets going. There is also probably a role for him in the NBA as a hired-gun off the bench, someone that can come in, spread the floor with his ability to shoot, and create points in a hurry. Throw in the fact that, by all accounts, Jenkins has his head screwed on straight despite a rough early childhood, and you're probably looking at a guy that will have a nice NBA career.

Draft Range: Mid-to-Late 1st round

And the experts say...

• Chad Ford: "I spoke with a number of NBA scouts about him this weekend, and the consensus continues to evolve. Last time I checked, in November, scouts saw him as a possible late-second-round pick. That's changed. More scouting and perhaps a bit more open-mindedness now has a few scouts conceding that he could sneak into the first round. 'You combine his toughness, shooting ability and efficiency, and I think you can find a spot for a guy like that in the league,' one NBA scout said. 'The first time I saw him this year, I told my GM he's a maybe. Now I think we have to bring him in. We need guys who can score, and he's as lethal as any guard in the country.'"


• Draft Express: "That is where Jenkins truly sets himself apart from the other elite scorers at the Division 1 level – the sheer volume of shots. While players like Fredette, Walker, Providence star Marshon Brooks and even Charleston's Andrew Goudelock are attempting in the realm of 18 to 19 shots per game, the Hofstra senior has managed his eye popping scoring numbers on just 14.5 attempts. In fact, in 28 games this season, Jenkins has taken 20 shots only three times, and two of those games went to overtime."


• Swish Scout: "Tenacious scoring guard with a quick dribble, superb shooting stroke, and scorers mentality. While he projects as more of a pure SG in the NBA, Jenkins is slightly undersized and he played as a one man team at a small school, but is a gamer with great energy and toughness to warrant a fringe first round pick."

Highlights:




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Charles Jenkins to have his jersey retired while he is still playing

There's no questioning that Hofstra's Charles Jenkins has been a great player.

He's one of just three players this season leading his conference in scoring (23.3 ppg) and assists (4.8 apg). He's scored 2,420 career points, second in the CAA only to some guy from Navy named David Robinson, who had 2,669 career points. He's also on track to receive his third consecutive Haggerty Award as the best D-I hooper in the New York metro region. Only Columbia's Jim McMillian (back in the late '60's) and St. John's Chris Mullin have done that.


If you want a real measure of greatness, how about this -- on Saturday, when Hofstra hosts Delaware on Jenkin's senior night, the senior point guard will have his number retired by the Pride while he is still playing!

That's pretty incredible when you think about it. (And head scratching. Will he be allowed to wear his No. 22 jersey, or will it be stuck up in the rafters?)

Only four players in Hofstra history have had their number retired, and in all likelihood the only player you have heard of from that group is Speedy Claxton. Ironically, as Brendan Prunty wrote today, Claxton helped play a role in morphing Jenkins from an under-recruited kid out of a small high school in Queens to a potential first round pick:

Speedy Claxton, then with the Atlanta Hawks, saw his prey in the form of Jenkins when the two faced off in an open gym session. The NBA veteran bumped, bruised and harassed the freshman-to-be. By the end of the game, Jenkins didn’t care who Claxton was — he was ready to throw down. Then, he realized something: Claxton was challenging him because he saw the potential.

"He really gave it to me that day," Jenkins recalled. "I wanted to fight him a little bit because he was so tough on me. But that really showed how much he cared — to put all of that effort into even guarding me in an open gym like that."

The only thing that Jenkins hasn't accomplished in his career, it seems, is to reach the NCAA Tournament. With Hofstra's 26 point loss to Wright State over the weekend, their hopes of an at-large bid are non-existant.

But with a talent like Jenkins leading them into the CAA Tournament, there's always a chance for the Flying Dutchmen to make a run.

Forget cementing his legacy.

It would be nothing but the cherry on top.


BONUS VIDEO!!!!: This is why I say Chuck J (can I call him Chuck J? What about Chucks J's?) can lead Hofstra to a CAA Tournament title:


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If you don't know who Charles Jenkins is, here's a teaser

Those of us who pretend to be in the know about college hoops have been talking about Charles Jenkins for a couple of years now.

Its easy when he backs up the chatter with performances like the one he had in an 81-78 overtime win over William & Mary on Tuesday night: 28 points, four assists, and two blocks on 10-21 shooting with just one turnover.

As impressive as Jenkins' numbers are -- 23.9 ppg, 4.9 apg, 3.5 rpg, 1.8 spg, 42.9% 3PT -- stats aren't the be all and end all when talking about great players. That's why guys like Xavier Silas and Adrian Oliver aren't talked about.

Its plays like these, the ones Jenkins made down the stretch against the Tribe, that make the difference:



With the win, Hofstra remained tied with Old Dominion and VCU for second place in the CAA, with an outside shot of earning a share of the CAA title with George Mason.
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