'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
NBA players usually enter the professional ranks throughout the draft, but others like Fred VanVleet and Joe Ingles followed a different route to the league. While the Association replenishes its talent base generally through the draft, there are those who have made a name for themselves by working hard outside of it.
The NBA has seen these players blossom despite being undrafted and having their dreams shattered in the process. But the fiery trial has served only to fuel their desire to gain recognition and become standouts in the league.
The other undrafted NBA players
It was hard to trim down the list to just five undrafted NBA players and it would be unfair not to mention a couple of them.
The Miami Heat signed Kendrick Nunn last year and made him into a starter in the NBA. The second-year pro has been instrumental in the Heat’s bid to contend for a title. Then there’s Luguentz Dort, who just missed the cut. Dort has been an outstanding defender whose offensive game is catching up quickly. Just check out his 42-point explosion versus the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.
So who made it to our top five undrafted NBA players this season? Find out below.
#5. Chris Boucher
Chris Boucher went undrafted in 2017 as a lanky 6-foot-9 forward out of Oregon. He made a name for himself by becoming the first player to be chosen as the G League MVP and Defensive Player of the Year at the same time in 2018-19.
Now a valuable member of the Toronto Raptors and a part-time starter, Boucher has put up some astounding numbers this season. He’s averaging 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.
Boucher is easily the Raptors' best rim protector and one of their best rebounders. Additionally, he’s shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from beyond the arc. And he’s doing all this in just 23.7 minutes per game.
Moreover, Boucher tops the Raptors in win shares with 5.6, higher than the team’s stars, Pascal Siakam (3.9) and Fred VanVleet (3.8).
On April 8, Boucher hit a milestone by setting new career-highs with 38 points and 19 rebounds. Sky is the limit for the 28-year old, who is certainly a candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award.
#4. Joe Ingles
For an undrafted player (2009), Joe Ingles has stayed with the Utah Jazz longer than many expected. The 33-year old is in the seventh year of his NBA career and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Ingles has played fewer minutes this season than the last three years, but he’s become deadlier and more efficient than ever. He’s shooting 52.1 percent from the field and is second in the league in 3-point accuracy at 48.7 percent.
With Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell doing most of the playmaking chores for the league-leading Utah Jazz, it's amazing that Ingles is still averaging 4.2 assists per contest.
More importantly, Ingles is third on the team in win shares at 5.6, right behind Rudy Gobert and Mitchell.
#3. Duncan Robinson
The Miami Heat have a knack for finding diamonds in the rough over the years. One of them is Duncan Robinson, who has become one of the best 3-point marksmen in the game today. He’s a high-volume shooter who attempts 8.5 threes a game and knocks down 3.5 for a 40.8 percent clip.
Excellent at coming off screens and in catch-and-shoot situations, Robinson has knocked down at least five threes in 12 games this season with a high of seven against the New Orleans Pelicans on Christmas Day.
Undrafted in 2018, the 26-year-old hasn’t missed a game this season and has started in all of the Heat’s 54 games. That’s a huge accomplishment for this team, considering how many of his teammates have been sidelined by injuries or illness since the start of the season.
#2. Christian Wood
Houston Rockets center Christian Woods went undrafted in 2015 but has made a name for himself as one of the top young big men in the NBA. He’s in line to be this season’s Most Improved Player after averaging just 13.1 points per contest last year.
This year, Wood has almost been a double-double machine with 21.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He’s also shooting a respectable 37.5 percent from three. Had it not been for the ankle sprains he endured earlier this season, it’s likely that Wood would have challenged for an NBA All-Star spot last March.
The Rockets are Wood's sixth team in five years, but something tells me Houston will be his last stop for a while.
#1. Fred VanVleet
Fred VanVleet is a big reason why the Toronto Raptors were willing to give up franchise player Kyle Lowry to other teams at the NBA trade deadline. Listed at 6-foot-1, VanVleet went undrafted in 2016 after playing four years at Wichita State.
Since being signed by the Raptors in 2016, he has slowly moved up the rotation every year until becoming a regular starter alongside Lowry in their backcourt this season. VanVleet is averaging career-highs of 19.8 points and grabbing 4.2 rebounds per game.
The 27-year-old was in serious contention for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game because of his improved play. Against the Orlando Magic on February 2, VanVleet set career-highs with 54 points and 11 3-pointers made.
That point total set a new franchise record for most points in a game, and VanVleet's eight threes before halftime were the most-ever in the first half for a Raptors player. VanVleet also made NBA history for most points set by an undrafted player, shattering the record of 53 by former MVP Moses Malone.
Also Read: 5 NBA teams that have a realistic shot at dethroning LA Lakers in the playoffs | NBA season 2020-21
Guess the Lakers players!
