"NBA drafts are often reassessed years later with a player or two ranked much higher than his original selection because he went late in the second round and proved to be a solid contributor.

They're called hidden gems.

The Grizzlies will try to find great value tonight when they enter the draft with only the 49th overall pick. Barring a trade, the Griz are approaching this draft realizing that a franchise-changing prospect likely won't be found so late.

But they also know an undervalued player could be there for the taking.

Over the past decade, there have been productive players selected in the latter part of the second round.

"Are you likely to find a star at this point? No," general manager Chris Wallace said. "But as far as team building, the odds aren't against you that a player can be found there. You line them up and take the highest-ranked guy. It's an excellent opportunity for us because it's a risk-free proposition as long as you don't leave a player on the table behind you."

Wallace and director of player personnel Tony Barone Sr. agreed that finding gems late in the second round mostly comes down to luck. There's no set formula for landing a role player late in the draft, but the best second-round picks tend to have a pronounced NBA talent.

Mo Williams (47th pick in 2003) is the last late draft pick to earn an All-Star appearance. However, there are a number of eventual NBA regulars who came from the depths of the draft.

The 2003 draft produced Zaza Pachulia (42nd), Keith Bogans (43rd), Matt Bonner (45th) and Kyle Korver (51st). In 2005, Lou Williams (45th), Andray Blatche (49th) and Marcin Gortat (57th) were afterthoughts."