OK, so not every late pick we recommend is going to be exciting. But sometimes you need roster fillers who you can plug into those utility slots. None of these guys have top-50 potential or anything but all of them could top out in the 70’s or 80’s if a few things go right and if you can get them in the 10th, 11th, 12th rounds, then you might have gotten some sweet value:
Wally Szczerbiak
Wally World was sort of an afterthought in the Sonics offseason what with Rashard Lewis leaving, Ray Allen getting traded, and Kevin Durant and Jeff Green showing up. But it wouldn’t surprise me to see him lead the Sonics in scoring this year. People are always hesitant to draft him because of the injuries, but once you’re drafting your utility and bench guys, what are you really risking? He’s talking the way that fantasy players like, too: “I’ve had a couple of tough years with surgeries the last two seasons,” he said at Sonics Media Day. “That’s something I’ve got to do - just stay healthy. When I stay healthy, I can be a pretty good player in this league. That’s my focus this year.” He’s still got great percentages for a long bomber, and he can contribute a bit in boards, but the points and 3’s are where Wally will leave his mark. He may have fallen a bit too much on people’s draft boards, and should definitely be drafted.
Steve Francis
Here’s what we know about Stevie Franchise: 1. When he’s unhappy, he’s a bad player. 2. When he’s happy, he’s a good player. 3. He’s happy in Houston. 4. One time I saw him outside the Whole Foods in Silver Spring, MD. The minutes are certainly going to be an issue but for the first time in his career he had a legitimate chance to decide where he wanted to play and he went right back to Houston. He’s only 31, and while he was hideous in New York last year, the year before, in Orlando, he put up 16/4/5 with a steal. It’s tough to know how much of a step he’s lost but he’s really only a year and a half away from being a top-50 player, so he’s a decent risk to take if you can get him late.
Troy Murphy
Now, I owned Murphy for much of last year so I know all about how that went: badly. But he was so dependable over the previous few seasons that it’s not at all unreasonable to think he’ll come back this year and be a 14-10 guy with a three a game. He’s got a new coach, which should help, and he’s had all summer to get used to his new teammates. Plus, Jermaine O’Neal is always an injury risk and that could give Murphy’s value a bump. This actually isn’t at all a question of talent or ability - at 27, Murphy is in his prime - it’s just a matter of minutes. It’s also worth noting that while his other numbers dipped in conjunction with his loss of PT last year, his 3PT numbers stayed the same, so he’s showing a bit more of a willingness to fire it up from the arc. It looks like he’ll still qualify at C as well, which will help his value a bit. I like Murphy as a bounce-back candidate this year.
Mark Blount
Seriously, who else is going to play center for the Timberwolves? He’ll still see plenty of minutes, might play a bigger role in an offense where he and Ricky Davis are the only vets, and the guy has played in 80+ games in each of the last five seasons. He’s not going to blow anyone away but he qualifies at C and was at 95 on the TPR last year (129 on the APR) and he’s a fine 3rd center, despite all of his faults. Don’t be embarrassed to take him in the last few rounds of the draft.