Five NBA Draft sleepers to watch

Really, this is almost an entire draft of sleepers.

After the first two picks — Duke’s Kyrie Irving and Arizona’s Derrick Williams — there are enough questions and risks that a lot of guys could be considered sleepers. Teams will tell you the difference between picks No. 10 and No. 25 in this draft is not that great. And you know one guy who falls in this draft is going to rise up to be a star (it happens almost every year; this season is primed for it).

One guy is going to unexpectedly answer all those questions asked about him. Who? Here are a few ideas.

Reggie Jackson, 6-foot-3 point guard, Boston College: He’s a guy that plays smart, steady and within himself, a guy who could become a good NBA point guard. He’s got length — at the combine he turned scouts heads with his freakish wingspan (7 feet). Jackson is not an explosive athlete, but he’s quick enough to play the point in the NBA (and his key is being smart enough to know when to attack). He uses space well and is a good passer. The issue is you can’t just drive and kick, you’ve got to shoot and he struggled some with that (27 percent from three). Guys will play off Jackson.

But there is a player in there. There is a steady floor leader in there. He’s never going to be Derrick Rose, but he could be a steady floor general for a lot of years in the league and the kind of smart player that could be valuable to good teams.

Jeremy Tyler, 6-11 power forward, Japanese league: Remember a couple years ago when one of the nation’s top college prospects skipped his high school senior season to play professional ball in Europe? That’s Tyler. He struggled overseas, but he has real NBA size and athleticism. He has a bit of a faceup game. There are real questions about his maturity and his internal drive — will he put out the efforts in practices and every game? If Tyler can do that, he will be a good NBA player, but it is a real gamble.

In a draft filled with gambles, do you gamble on the guy with real talent? If it comes together, he is a great sleeper.

Malcolm Lee, 6-5 shooting guard, UCLA: Here is what you need to know about Lee — when teams brought in Kemba Walker or Jimmer Fredette to work out, they often tried to bring in Lee to work out against them so they could see how those guys dealt with a good NBA defender.

Guys who have come out of UCLA in recent years have been able to defend and play smart basketball. Lee is long and athletic, but he’s a shooting guard who shot 29.5 percent from 3-point range last season. But if his offense does come around, he could be an important piece on the right team.

E’Twaun Moore, 6-4 shooting guard, Purdue: A lot of teams like him in the second round. He’s a very good shooter with NBA range (40 percent from three) and is a well-rounded player. He’s not an explosive athlete and a is bit small for the position, but he plays tough and smart. Again, teams can see him fitting into their rotation and be one of those second rounders that ends up being a key contributor.

Bismack Biyombo, 6-8 power forward, Congo: Can a guy in the lottery be a sleeper? In this case it seems appropriate. There is no more physically gifted player in this draft, no better athlete. He was the leading shot blocker in Spain last year and he can rebound.

But he is sliding down draft boards. Biyombo looked raw… well, actually all reports are he looked bad at Eurocamp. His workouts are about the same. Teams thought he could be a Joel Anthony type, but Anthony looks like Pau Gasol next to him. There also are questions about his real age (he says 18, the papers say that, but many teams think more like early 20s). Another guy with red flags all over the place, but with a ton of athletic gifts. He’s a risk, but if he does pan out he could be a monster in the league.