Undrafted rookies don’t often pan out in the NBA — especially not right away.
In 2016, the Toronto Raptors found one of the best of them: Fred VanVleet. Less than four years after VanVleet signed a partially guaranteed contract during NBA Summer League, he’s now a starter headed for a big payday this summer. He’s averaging 17.6 points and 6.6 assists per game this season.
Still, even as his career appears to be a best-case scenario for those who go the undrafted route, VanVleet’s first season was nothing to write home about. He logged just 294 minutes in 37 games for the Raptors, who were a perennial playoff team that appeared to have no room for a sub-6-foot rookie who couldn’t make it into the top-60 on draft night.