NBA teams in the second half of the draft should consider selecting former Shocker Cleanthony Early. His worth ethic, versatility and perimeter shooting will be an asset to contending teams.

In this season’s finals on Sunday, the San Antonio Spurs demonstrated to us why it is the quintessential team in all of sports. The Spurs proved that quality players, depth, versatility and teamwork — the kind of attributes Early has — trumps individual talent.

The draft is June 26, and while rebuilding teams will be salivating over highly touted prospects Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, contending teams such as Chicago, Oklahoma City and Memphis should take Early. He can provide the depth, a reliable scoring option off the bench and the versatility these teams desperately need.

This past season Early was one of the key contributors to the greatest regular season in NCAA history. The Shockers went 31-0 in the regular season and Early’s stock began to rise. Prior to the season there was talk around campus of Early not being NBA potential. Many said he would have to be shipped overseas if he had any hope of playing professional basketball.

Those doubters were silenced when Early showed out against Kentucky in one of the best games in the tournament. Showing his aggressiveness, Early attacked the lanes fearlessly, shooting 12-17 from the field and hitting all of his free throws. Not only did he come to play in the biggest game of his life, Early proved he will show up in games with high caliber opponents and play like he’s the best man on the court — even if he isn’t the most talented.

The most impressive thing about Early’s performance against Kentucky was his perimeter shooting, especially in clutch moments. Shooting 4 out of 6 from the 3-point line, Early shot one of highest percentages of his career against—with exception of the Final Four loss to Louisville the previous year—the toughest opponents of his career.

Early is still raw on offensive. He needs to work on creating his own shot, which means he has to depend on his teammates and set plays, much like Mike Miller in Memphis and Jeremy Lamb in Oklahoma City. Right now he’s one-dimensional — but there’s an upside. If Early can improve his ball-handling skills and get his assist total up, he can be a key component for teams who need versatility offensively. Chicago desperately needs scoring options to take some of the burden off of Derrick Rose’s knees. Early could be that.

Despite being unpolished offensively, Early was one of the more efficient. According to draftexpress.com, Early’s 64 percent true shooting percentage is seventh among the top 100 prospects.

 Defensively is where Early’s tenacity and length could potentially make him a terror for years to come. However, he needs to become more disciplined. Early is listed at six-foot-eight and possesses a six-foot-nine wingspan, which is decent for a small forward.

His measures resemble Bulls’ starting guard/forward, Jimmy Butler, who is revered as one of the best young perimeter defenders in the league.

 Early’s age and small school pedigree shouldn’t ward off potential drafters. Consider Portland’s All-Star point guard Damien Lillard, who entered the league as a 22 year old from Weber State.

Early most likely won’t make an instant impact to the magnitude of Damien Lillard, but he could be a reliable contributor early on for contending teams.