Axel Hervelle

Axel Hervelle - 52nd pick, 2009
Still an effective ACB defensive role player in the twilight of his career, but not an NBA factor. This is exactly the same blurb was written about him in last year’s edition, and it remains true.

Axel Hervelle - 52nd pick, 2005
Still an effective ACB defensive role player in the twilight of his career, but not an NBA factor.

Axel Hervelle (52nd pick, 2005)

- Hervelle became Rockets property after a uniquely trivial training camp-time trade in 2009, the returning piece in a deal that saw Houston salary dump James White, who they were going to cut anyway. Hervelle's draft rights were more palatable to Houston than those of the aforementioned Sani Becirovic and Xue Yuyang for the simple yet important reason that he's better - Axel is, and has always been, a decent player. His stock burned brighter a couple of years ago when he averaged roughly 10/6 for Real Madrid in Euroleague play, yet it's long burned brighter than those two. Hervelle plies his trade as a little-things forward; tall and long for a forward, if not especially strong or athletic, Hervelle rebounds, defends, scraps, passes, and occasionally hits some jumpers. However, he never developed beyond this role, never creating any reliable offensive options or means of scoring on his own, always remaining a role player at the ACB level. And in averaging 5.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.6 steals in 19 minutes per game for Bilbao this summer, Hervelle is not doing anything to leap off the page.

Chances of making the NBA expressed as an arbitrary percentage: 2%

- Axel Hervelle

Former Nuggets draft pick Axel Hervelle started the season with Real Madrid, his sixth season there. He totalled 82 minutes, 13 points and 18 rebounds in seven ACB games, but was the subject of transfer rumours the entire season, including rumours of a trade between Real and Efes Pilsen that would have seen Hervelle swapped for Boki Nachbar. That particular deal never happened, but Hervelle did eventually leave, moving to Bizkaia Bilbao in January. In 9 ACB games for the team Hervelle is averaging 24 minutes, 8.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, shooting 73% from two points range and 11% from three point range.

His rights are now owned by the Houston Rockets, who acquired them as the suitably arbitrary returning piece in the deal that saw Denver acquire James White. White never played for the Nuggets. Hervelle will probably never play for the Rockets either