5 Seniors the Pacers shouldn’t draft under any circumstances

Hunter Kuffel

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sportsat Barclays Center.

Every pick in the NBA Draft is important, even those at the very end. Here are some prospects the Pacers have looked at for their pick at No. 47. They should really look elsewhere.

Don’t tell Isaiah Thomas or Draymond Green that second-round picks don’t matter.

The second round has always been a great place to take risks and bet big on hidden potential. With the introduction of new two-contracts, that idea could be reinforced even further, as illuminated here by Posting and Toasting’s Matt Weiss.

The Pacers hold the 47th overall pick in this year’s draft, and they’ve been using their pre-draft workouts to take a look at candidates who have perhaps missed out on their fair share of hype. For these five, the lack of hype was justified.

These five guys have achieved a lot of success at the collegiate level and are hoping to leverage that into a spot on an NBA roster. The problem is they don’t have that raw potential I just mentioned. They are what they are, and their weaknesses aren’t disappearing with more experience.

It would be a mistake to use the 47th pick on any of these prospects. It would be a risk-averse, overly conservative waste of an opportunity. On that sunny note, let’s take a look at each one in more detail, starting with UCLA’s Bryce Alford.

Bryce Alford

The four-year player out of UCLA was invited to work out with the Pacers, but very few mock drafts have him being selected by any team, let alone Indiana.

Derrick Walton Jr.

The next undersized, 22-year-old guard the Pacers have worked out is Derrick Walton Jr., a senior from the University of Michigan. Walton was a four-year starter for the Wolverines, filling in for Trey Burke after he left for the pros. Just like Burke before him, don’t expect Walton to be a smashing NBA success.

Only 6-foot-0, Walton is already starting from behind. Similar to Bryce Alford, his calling card is his excellent shooting. Last season, Walton shot 42.2 percent from 3-point range and 87.6 percent from the free-throw line. His defense and athleticism are adequate enough that he got by in college. That likely won’t be the case at the next level.

Walton will have a hard time creating against NBA defenses, and I don’t trust him doing much other than spotting up. Not great for your lead ball handler. He defended fine at Michigan, but his 6-foot-2 wingspan just won’t cut it against opposing guards, and that’s only if he manages to stay in front of them. He has potential as a passer, but not enough to overcome all of his shortcomings.

Walton is very likely not an NBA player. I’m fine with the Pacers taking a chance on him at training camp, but not with the 47th pick.

Davon Reed

Of the five prospects examined in this post, Davon Reed is the guy I would be least mad about drafting. Still mad, mind you — He’s definitely not one of the 60 best guys in this class — but less mad than the other four would make me.

More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds

Reed has worked out with the Pacers twice now, so they must see something promising about his game. He’s got the physical tools and the skill to eventually turn into a promising 3-and-D wing in the NBA. His 7-foot-0 wingspan is absolutely absurd for a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, and he shot 39.7 percent from behind the arc last season at Miami. If that shooting translates to the pros, then Reed has a clear role, putting him way ahead of these other four guys.

Here’s the problem: those physical tools have yet to turn into effective production. Reed gives his all on defense, but he still struggles to stay in front of his man. He gets caught out of position way too often for a 22-year-old, and the simplest moves seem to throw him for a loop.

He’s very limited on offense, sticking mostly to spot-ups and backdoor cuts. That’s fine for an end of the bench kind of guy, as he won’t be expected to do much creation, but it’s disheartening nonetheless.

London Perrantes

The four-year point guard from the University of Virginia could maybe develop a role in the NBA. That outcome would be a big surprise, however, and not a risk worth throwing the 47th pick at.

Perrantes has been left off just about every big board or mock draft of note, but not because he has any particularly glaring weaknesses. He has a complete game for someone of his status.

However, that’s arguably his biggest strength.

Perrantes isn’t great at anything. He’s just pretty good at everything, and pretty good doesn’t cut it in the NBA. Especially for someone in the role that Perrantes will surely be in, being great at one thing at least is crucial to earning playing time on an NBA roster. Without one elite skill, you become unnecessary.

If he manages to carve out a role for himself, it will most likely be as a fourth guard that shocks opposing teams with surprisingly adequate defense for a guard his size. The Pacers already have better options for the end of their point guard rotation on the roster right now, and even if they decide to draft a guard, there will be a heaping handful of better options at No. 47.

Monte Morris

I come from the Chicago Bulls blogging world, where the key to understanding every draft pick, front office hire or coaching staff decision boils down to understanding how he or she connects to Ames, Iowa. (I considered linking to an article that explains this further, but genuinely couldn’t choose between the many.)

The Pacers are better than that. So is just about everyone.