PORTLAND — Josh Huestis was drafted in June of 2014 at the age of 22, old for a prospect. He turned 24 this December, still yet to record an NBA minute.
In those 19 months, he went from a unique domestic draft-and-stash story to a complete afterthought, assumed by many to have been a Sam Presti strikeout on a late first round pick.
Then in a throwaway game in Detroit last week, with Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka resting, coach Billy Donovan took him for a brief test drive. Huestis played 16 minutes and made three nice plays — rotating over for a blocked shot, cutting baseline for a dunk and knocking down a corner 3 off a feed from Russell Westbrook.