10 best active NBA Superstars who were second round Draft picks

NBA scouts are paid big money to do what they do best: track the best young talents in the world and find which ones will not only have the best effect on their franchise now, but also identify the talents who have the most potential for future success. Every NBA draft, intrigue, excitement, and hype follows the top picks, with interest petering away late into the First Round. By the time the Second Round rolls around, most casual fans have already moved on, showing little or no concern for fringe players set to play fringe roles around the league.

Manu Ginobili

But, as year after year of surprise success stories have proven, there are always several talents that go unnoticed or underestimated by the scouts, and are picked up in the Second Round to find themselves in just the right situation to succeed. Moreover, teams who add in second round picks in trades are doing more than dealing with empty numbers: depending on their side of the bargain, several of these lost picks could come back to haunt or reward them.

Although there have been a lot of great Second Round picks in the past, here are the 10 best ACTIVE players to have been picked in the Second Round, presented to you in the draft order they were picked. They are the league’s diamonds in the rough, the ones who proved that it doesn’t matter where you start in the league, it’s about where you finish.

With the 32nd pick of the 1998 draft, the Seattle Supersonics pick… Rashard Lewis

You may now see him merely as a bit backup polishing his championship ring in Miami, but there was a time when Rashard Lewis was one of the most explosive scorers and shooters in the league. The Supersonics had the 32nd pick in the draft’s second round in 1998 from a trade via Detroit and selected Lewis directly out of High School. He spent his first nine years in Seattle, and also played for the Magic and Wizards before joining the Heat. Lewis made two All Star teams, helped the Magic get to the 2009 Finals, and became a champion with the Heat last year.

Carlos Boozer

With the 35th pick of the 2002 draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select… Carlos Boozer

As the Cavaliers bumble top five picks over and over again in recent years, it’s tough to believe that they had a rare stroke of luck back in 2002 with Carlos Boozer at 35th. A year later, they hit the jackpot and added LeBron, and if the two had stayed together, maybe the King could’ve brought the crowd to Cleveland. Boozer played for the Cavs and the Jazz before joining the Bulls. In Derrick Rose’s absence, he is Chicago’s most potent offensive threat in the low block. In Utah, he played for two All Star teams and made the 2008 All NBA third team.

With the 40th pick of the 2005 draft, the Golden State Warriors select… Monta Ellis

Seeing the way he’s been blowing past opponents for nearly a decade, it’s a shock that Monta was passed 39 times before the Warriors finally took a chance on him. Maybe it was his ‘hybrid’ guard style of play that kept teams suspicious. Although he hasn’t been an All Star yet, Ellis has scored nearly 20 points a game for his career and was the 2007 Most Improved Player. He led the league in minutes played in 2010 and 2011, and scored nearly 25 ppg those years – not bad for a 40th pick! He moved from Golden State to a disappointing stint in Milwaukee, but now finds himself a perfect fit playing his most efficient basketball in Dallas.

With the 40th pick of the 2010 draft, the Indiana Pacers select… Lance Stephenson

Lance Stephenson

Wait a moment! We have one more 40th pick in our list?

Despite making a name for himself as one of the greatest High School players ever, Stephenson’s reputation took a hit in college to various controversies, and NBA teams passed over him fearing chemistry and personality issues. The Pacers took a chance on him in the Second Round in 2010 (after picking Paul George in the First Round) and he bubbled quietly under the radar for several years. But now, an explosive breakout season has made Stephenson into one of the most improved players in the league this season and a regular starter for the East’s best Pacers. After suffering a dip in his career, it seems that Stephenson is ready to rise again.

With the 45th pick of the 2008 draft, the San Antonio Spurs select… Goran Dragic

The Spurs have always been one step ahead when it comes to scouting international talents, and they made the right choice when they selected Dragic 45 in 2008 after the Slovenian point guard had already enjoyed a pro career in his home country and Spain. But the Spurs made the mistake of trading his draft rights to the Suns, where Dragic became the understudy to Steve Nash. Dragic was sent to the Rockets a few years later and then bounced back to Phoenix, where now, he has developed into one of the most exciting guards in the league and is sure to make one of the All NBA teams this season. Averaging career highs across the board, Dragic has the surprising Suns fighting for a playoff spot.

With the 47th pick of the 2003 draft, the Utah Jazz select… Mo Williams

Mo Williams might be one of the most unexpected All Star players in NBA history when he was rewarded in 2009 for being the second-best player in the league-best Cleveland Cavaliers. Although he never blossomed into a superstar talent, Williams enjoyed some good years with the Bucks, Cavs, and Clippers. He’s now a steady backup for the Portland Trailblazers.

Paul Millsap

With the 47th pick of the 2006 draft, the Utah Jazz select… Paul Millsap

Another player whose value fell victim to his ‘unconventional’ size, Millsap was considered too small to play power forward but too slow to be at the perimeter. The Jazz picked him to play backup to Boozer in 2007, where he showed great potential as a rookie and quickly blossomed to a solid starter. Millsap signed with the Hawks before this season and has enjoyed the best stretch of his career since, averaging career-best scoring numbers and made the All Star team for the first time.

With the 48th pick of the 2007 draft, the Los Angeles Lakers select… Marc Gasol

The ‘Gasol’ name came with great responsibilities for Marc, trying to follow elder brother Pau who was already one of the NBA’s top big men. But not showing the same early potential as his brother, Marc fell to the Lakers at 48th pick in 2007, but didn’t join the team. Ironically, his draft rights were traded to the Grizzlies for his own brother a few months later. Pau helped the Lakers win two championships. Marc, meanwhile, slowly made the leap to become a solid starter. By 2013, he overtook his brother, becoming the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year and making the All NBA Second Team. Now, Marc is helping to lead Memphis back to the playoffs and is still one of the most reliable Centers in the league.

Marc Gasol

With the 56th pick of the 2002 draft, the San Antonio Spurs select… Luis Scola

Although the Spurs picked the Argentine big man in 2002, he didn’t join the NBA for another five years. By then, the Spurs had already traded his draft rights to Houston, and the big man instantly made his presence felt. After his dominating performances in Spain, maybe we should’ve seen this coming. Scola was named to the NBA All Rookie First Team in his first season and became a nightly low-post threat, peaking with a career-high 18.5 points per game in 2011. Scola played for the Suns for one season and is now part of the Pacers’ bench mob helping to lead the team to a title.

With the 57th pick of the 1999 draft, the San Antonio Spurs select… Manu Ginobili

And yes, it’s the Spurs again, picking up an unnoticed international player deep into the second round. But this time, they didn’t let him go, and he has rewarded them back with a Hall of Fame career. After being drafted 57th in 1999, the Argentine Ginobili finished his pro career in Italy before joining the Spurs in 2002. Ever since then, he has partnered with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker to win three championships and carry his team to four Finals. Ginobili has been a two-time All Star, a sixth man of the year, and was named twice to the All NBA third team. No greater player has fallen this low in the draft since then, perhaps a sign that NBA scouts have become smarter and don’t want to miss talents like him again.