Players from across the world, involving college athletes with foreign pros, participate in the NBA draft every summer. But the best NBA stars come from the first ten picks in the draft.
However, sometimes teams get star undrafted NBA players in the latter portion of the first round and rarely in the second round. Therefore, undrafted players will not turn into Stars, become the big numbers, or even be solid best players. Although once in a while, the best NBA player in sports goes full undrafted. Below is the list of top NBA players that were rated to be the best.
1. Kent Bazemore
Kent Bazemore of the Atlanta Hawks reacted when he was called for a foul.
Since Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Kent Bazemore introduced a four-year, $70 million contract the previous summer. As a result, Kent now entirely became the most paid undrafted NBA player in the entire world.
Other than staying up to his contract, he had averaged 10.1 points on 36.2% shooting in the whole season. But, he still has three more years for him to make it essential. For his career, Bazemore has got 6.8 points on a 34% improvement from the three-point range.
2. Chris Andersen
Chris Andersen became the best in the championship with the Heat in 2013.
Having recently torn his ACL, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Chris “Birdman” Andersen will have played his last game in the NBA. However, he’s had a fast run for a player who was not drafted. From 2001-02, Andersen played 15 seasons with the Cavs, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, and becoming the best in championship 2012-13. Chris has averaged 5.4 points with five rebounds to his career, which is a modest number.
3. Reggie Evans
He was signed by the Seattle Supersonics back in 2002 when he had played two seasons in college at Iowa. Forward Reggie Evans will earn his way onto the Sonics roster but get through his way into the beginning lineup. Evans began 60 games as an undrafted rookie, rating 3.2 points with 6.6 rebounds in one game.
Suddenly, he had two seasons in that he averaged above 11 rebounds per game. Evans completed his 13-year NBA career having 7.1 rebounds single match. He then became the role player, though he did significant work in his specialty.
4. Mike James
Undrafted back in 1998, point guard Mike James managed to be one of the undrafted NBA players when he was 26 with the Miami Heat in 2001-02. Then within a short period, he developed into a solid backup point guard with the three-point specialist. Having the fifth year in the league, he was with the Toronto Raptors, where he earned a beginning job and was with the excellent season of his game. James averaged 20.3 points, having 5.8 assists in 37.0 minutes each game in 2005-06. He completed his 12-year NBA career with 9.9 points with 3.5 assists per game, and shooting 37.9% in three-point range.
5. Chucky Atkins
Identical to James, point guard Chucky Atkins participated four years in college and went undrafted in 1996. Then he lastly made his NBA debut at 25 in 1999, being with the Detroit Pistons. He played in 82 games the same year. All off the bench, with averaged 9.5 points and 3.7 assists in a single match while supporting Lindsey Hunter. Atkins enhanced his way into the beginning lineup.
In 2004-05 he peaked up with the Los Angeles Lakers when he started all 82 games and averaged 13.6 points to continue with 4.4 assists per game. Atkins played 11 years in the NBA.
6. Anthony Morrow
A four-year college player that played as a three-point specialist at George Tech. Forward Anthony Morrow became undrafted and signed like a free agent to the Golden State Warriors in 2008. He then finished up serving as the best player for the Warriors. He averaged 10.1 points in his rookie year and 13.2 points in his second season in the NBA.
He supported the NBA with a three-point percentage at 46.2% during his first year in the league. He’s a career 41.9% shooter from the arc in his nine years, having six various franchises.
7. Andres Nocioni
Andres became a free agent through the Chicago Bulls back in 2004. So Andres Nocioni became the NBA with no fanfare of his fellow Manu Ginobili and Luis Scola that followed Nocioni to 2007. He had a solid rookie season having the Bulls when he averaged 8.4 points in each game. However, he broke out in his second year.
Continuously making the three-point shot, Nocioni averaged 13.3 points on 37.7% shooting from downtown during his second-through-fourth seasons in the NBA. Usually, he may have stops in Sacramento and Philadelphia before he gets back to complete his task in Argentina when he finished eight seasons in the league.
8. Barea
when completed playing four years at Northeastern University, point guard Jose Juan Barea became the NBA draft in 2006. No one chose him, but he ended up on an unguaranteed contract by the up-and-coming Dallas Mavericks.
Then Barea made himself into the job as essential backup to Devin Harris — and then Jason Kidd. Barea works with Dallas long enough to be a part of the 2011 NBA championship team. Before he moves on to play with the Minnesota Timberwolves, then go back to the Mavericks. Barea had averages of 8.6 points and 3.5 assists in each play with 11 seasons in the league.
9. Jeremy Lin
Several people still remember point guard Jeremy Lin from the “Linsanity” craze of 2012. Previously Lin was in his second season in the NBA and playing for the New York Knicks. The team was missing Carmelo Anthony and turned to the undrafted point guard, the best scoring source.
Lin began 25 games for the Knicks, getting 14.6 points overall and 18.2 points when he joined the starting rotation. He did not become a star, though Lin has forged a career as the best backup point guard. Lin had a career average of 11.8 points with 4.4 assists in each play.
Conclusion
Being one of the undrafted NBA players, it is not that players are not best enough for the NBA. But after that, very few managed to get a chance to play with big guys.
Those who earn their spot in the NBA sun other than undrafted players are still almost exclusively hard-working, even though some become All-Stars and NBA champions.
