The 2nd round of the 2008 NBA Draft.

 The 2003 draft gets a lot of publicity for it’s talent, but I feel the 2008 draft is quickly catching up.  We all know the big names chosen in the 1st round, but take a look at the depth and quality players taken 31-60.

Best of the 2nd Round.

#31 – Nikola Pekovic – 2012 Season 13.4 ppg 6.9 rpg 57%FG 73%FT – Pekovic has established he can be a very productive center this year in a league where not a lot of guys can say that.

#34 – Mario Chamlers – 2012 Season, 9.9 ppg 3.6 apg 1.6 spg – Chalmers isn’t one of the premeir starters in the league, but he’s starting for the 2nd best team in the East and is a tough defender and a steal at #34.

#35 – DeAndre Jordan -2012 Season, 7.5 ppg 8.3 rpg 2.1 bpg – Jordan took a couple years to hit his stride, but now he is a starting caliber center ranked 4th in the league in blocks per game.

#36 – Omer Asik – 2012 Season, 3.2 ppg 4.8 rpg 1.1 bpg – A 12 foot brick wall who is one of the toughest players to shoot over in the entire league often holds down the middle down the stretch of games for the Eastern Conference’s best team.

#37 – Luc Mbah a Moute – 2012 Season, 7.6 ppg 5.3 rpg 1 spg – Luc is one of one of the leauges best perimeter defenders.  He’s not a guy who will wow you with his stats, but his value far surpasses his draft pick.

#45 – Goran Dragic – 2012 Season, 10.9 ppg 5 apg 1.1 spg – Goran has a bright future ahead of him, as a starter this season he’s averaged. 18.2 ppg 8.7 apg and 1.9 spg while shooting over 50% from the feild.

Worth Mentioning

#39 – Sonny Weems – 2011 Season, 9.2 ppg 2.6 rpg 1.6 apg – Weems opted to goto Europe and play when the lockout hit, but before doing so he was a player capable of scoring off the bench and throwing down highlight dunks.  I suspect he’ll be back in the league next year.  He’s averaging 15.5 ppg and 5 rpg in Europe.

#47 – Bill Walker – 2012 Season, 6 ppg 2.3 rpg 1.2 apg – Walker has established himself as a rotation player capable of putting up points in a hurry if his team needs him.  Most likely Walker will have a long career as a bench player.

#60 – Semih Erden – 2012 Season, 3.5 ppg 2.6 rpg – I actually think Erden has some untapped potential left.  He’s 7 feet tall and a guy who’s going to find a spot on an NBA roster for a decade, but although I don’t feel he’ll be a starter, I feel he’ll continue to improve.