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What are the merits of undrafted NBA players?

topsportpick July 29, 2021

Everyone is anxiously waiting to hear their name called as part of the draft. But unfortunately, that’s not possible, and several people will have to get disappointed. But does that mean it’s the end of the undrafted NBA player’s career?

No, it’s not. Today, if you look at each roster of players, there is an undrafted player on the team. And these guys are one of the best players as they work pretty hard trying to prove they are better, despite missing in the draft. 

Joe Ingles

Ingles is an Australian marksman who has now hit 41% of his three-point attempts since 2014, the time he entered the league. And that led to a handsome reward, which he agreed to sign on the one-year contract of $14 million. It was an extension from Utah Jazz, where Joe has been playing for a long time. He got in the seventh ranking in the NBA effective field-goal percentage in 2017/18.

Wesley Mathews

Coming from Marquette college, Mathews recorded one of his greatest seasons in 2013/14. The 34-year-old has been with several teams, including Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Indiana Pacers. He averaged 16.4 points, 2.4 assists, and 3.5 rebounds for the Trail Blazers during that time. Wesley is a remarkable floor spacer, among the best three-point shooters for a decade.

David Wesley

Wesley came from Baylor college, and his first landing with the Nets, he was an undrafted NBA player during the 1993/94 season. After that, the 34-year-old has been with several teams; Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Indiana Pacers. He averaged 16.4 points, 2.4 assists, and 3.5 rebounds for the Trail Blazers during that time. Wesley is a remarkable floor spacer, among the best three-point shooters for a decade.

Jose Calderon

This crafty point guard is one of the reasons why Spain went home with silver in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Jose powered his national team to come first at FIBA World Cup, ed his national team first to place finished at the FIBA World Cup, FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup, and EuroBasket. Due to his ability to set up teammates, Jose served well in the NBA.

J.J Barea

This Puerto Rican NBA player is a superstar who went undrafted in 2006, averaging 20.3 points per game and joined the Golden State Warriors. He is the backup point guard for the Dallas Mavericks, where he has just begun his 11th season in the league, and Barea is still racking up important points. But, unfortunately, J.J didn’t have what you would call the best season until five years later.

In 2011, he won the first championship against the overwhelmed Miami Heat. Barea has a career- stats of 8.7 ppg and 3.6 assists. And this doesn’t equal his production and style on the court. People often overlook his court vision, but J.J still has some juice left in him.

Raja Bells

Bells is a 1999 undrafted NBA player from FIU who was quite a substantial member of Sun’s squad. He led in the league in three-pointers a time and got nominated twice to an all-defensive team. Raja started jumping from one team to another after he got traded from the Suns. But in 2012, he later settled in the Utah Jazz.

 Udonis Haslem

Haslem is a Florida Gator and Miami native. But he gave a pretty good shot in the NBA for the Miami Heat with no disappointment. Odonis is one of the powerhouses as a premier defender and rebounder, who played side by side with Shaq and Alonzo. And it’s at that time that he carried the team to its first championship in 2006.

During that season, Haslem averaged 508 percent from the field and garnered 7.8 rebounds. And this being his 15th year with the Heat, Udonis has become more of a leader. Many see him as a role model as he comes off the bench for the team. Haslem is one of those players adored by the Miami community and many more NBA fans like me.

Bruce Bowen

If you were an NBA fan in the early 2000s, you must have watched Bowen. This 93’ undrafted NBA player was a rookie who was a defensive beast and played as an offensive machine. Bruce hardly missed a game during his career. He gave a finish of 39.3 percent, shooting from beyond the arc. Despite being undrafted, Bruce Bowen became one of the most notable players for the Spurs under Popovich. In 2012, Spurs retired his jersey for the small forward from Cal State Fullerton, and it was well-deserved. 
In Conclusion, the reason why all these undrafted NBA players made it that far, it’s their merits. They had to put in a lot more than their counterparts who got in the draft to prove they are equally good. All these players worked extra hard, trained, and played extremely well, making them noticed.  

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