09′ Depth

The 2009 Draft isn’t regarded as a deep draft. Its hard to look at the players chosen and pick out more than a handful of potential all-stars and Hall of Fame type players; However, I think the true depth in this draft comes in the amount of second round players drafted that will make rosters and become solid pro players. In my opinion a number of second round players drafted this year will make rosters, contribute, and improve the overall depth of this draft.

Obvious choices of expected first rounders that fell in to the second such as DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, DeJuan Summers, and Chase Budinger have all showed early promise in summer league games and at this point seem to be on the path to making rosters, and providing valuable relief off the bench.

Others, such as Jodie Meeks and Marcus Thornton have used their strengths as pure scorers to get the attention of their respective teams, leading me to believe these players will provide an Eddie House type spark off the bench for Milwaukee and New Orleans.

John Brockman is a 8-10 year pro in my opinion, cut from the mold of hard nosed rebounders and hustle players like Reggie Evans, Michael Ruffin, and Scot Pollard. Guys who are never going to be stars but players that teams need and are going to find a roster.

Dante Cunningham was Villanova’s sole post player the past couple years and has signs of promise for the Trail Blazers. International players such as Jonas Jerebko, Sergio LLull, and Nando De Colo all have serious upside and could become solid contributers. Nick Calathes after his European stint is going to make an impact as a versatile sharp shooting combo guard. Others such as Jeff Pendergraff,Derrek Brown, Danny Green, and Jermaine Taylor could fill roster spots too.

Yeah, 2009 isn’t going to give you Lebron, Melo, D-Wade, and a hand full of all-stars, but compare the second round talent to the past few drafts( 2007 was pretty decent ) and the number of total players making rosters and contributing boosts this NBA Draft’s overall depth.