Round 6, Pick 12: Jameer Nelson, PG, Orlando Magic

On a team that already has a solid front court in Amare Stoudemire and Chris Kaman, solid wing players in Vince Carter and Caron Butler, as well as some guy named LeBron, the only way I could go with this team would be to solidify the backcourt with a point guard. 

While Jameer Nelson was a bit nicked up last season, once he was given free reign as the point man, he had a nice span of scoring, assists and shooting percentages.  As you’ll notice from my point guard rankings, the fact that Nelson can still hit consistently from the field, while draining the occasional three makes him of great value in my book.

I’ve seen Jameer Nelson go fairly early in drafts (third or fourth rounds), but think a late sixth round selection is a great place to target him and could wind up being a steal.  With the Steve Francis experiment in the rear view mirror, Nelson will be responsible for distributing the ball to the big man Dwight Howard, as well as his wing players in Hedo Turkoglu and Grant Hill. 

Some owners may be worried about Nelson’s play since coming back from a concussion (which will happen when you run into someone of Howard’s size), but if anything I think this is making his value that much better.  If he falls this far in your drafts, I recommend you taking him and not looking back. 

Granted, Jameer Nelson wont give me the consistent double-digit assist of a Steve Nash, or the scoring of a Gilbert Arenas, but when you have someone like LeBron James on your team, you can afford to wait for your PG1.  Both James and Vince Carter get their fair share of assists, and Nelson’s ability to shoot close to 80% from the line will only help me that much more in the FT% category.  Couple this with the fact that Nelson only turned the ball over 2.4 times in 33 minutes a game last year, and he may also help me out in the turnover category – as I need it.

Other Team Members:

1.1 LeBron James, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers
2.12 Amare Stoudemire, PF/C, Phoenix Suns
3.1 Vince Carter, SG, New Jersey Nets
4.12 Caron Butler, SF, Washington Wizards
5.1 Chris Kaman, C, Los Angeles Clippers