In the NBA Summer League, where 349 players on 24 teams are scratching and clawing to get noticed by scouts and front-office officials, eight players stand out as the biggest underdogs of them all.
They’re the guys everyone whispers about during games, and not because they were lottery picks.
Instead, they’re the guys who are shorter than 6-feet and are trying to make it in a big man’s league.
“I’ve been small all my life,” said Ryan Boatright, an NCAA champion at Connecticut who is participating in his second consecutive summer league. “I’ve been playing with all these taller guys since I picked up a basketball.