In the NBA, not every player's career is smooth, and many players have a very low starting point, because they are not as talented as others, so they have to work harder than others. This is especially true for those who lost the draft, although most of the undrafted ends up being out of the ordinary, but there are still some players who have persevered and reaped the results, and the 7 players we have counted below, they can be called the strongest undrafted players in the current team, so let's take a look at who these 7 people are.
7. Derek Jones Jr
This season, he averaged 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1 assist per game
After Jones was drafted in 2016, he first played for a while with the Suns and then was traded to the Heat, and under Spo's hands, he once established himself in the league, and with his explosive physicality, he also impressed many fans. But in the past two years with the Bulls, Jones Jr.'s progress has not been obvious, and playing in such a competitive league in the NBA, not improving is almost like regression, so he can only join the Mavericks with a base salary last year.
However, this season with Doncic and Irving, Jones has played the best performance of his career, he has proved himself with his defense, especially in the playoffs, his performance has skyrocketed his value. Jones Jr. was able to sign a three-year, $30 million contract with the Clippers this offseason, which is pretty good for an undrafted pick, and he will play 11 seasons in the league when that contract expires.
6. McConnell
This season, he averaged 10.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1 steal per game
As an older rookie, McConnell wasn't picked up by any team in the draft, but the 76ers gave him a chance and earned him a place in the league. McConnell joined the Pacers in 2019, and here he is gradually reaching his peak, especially after Carlisle coached the Pacers, and he has also played his best this year.
McConnell has broken a career-high in points per game this season with less than 20 minutes per game, and he can get enough possession whenever he's on the court. In the playoffs, McConnell still averaged 1.8 points and 5.1 assists per game, and as a small guard who is less than 1.9 meters tall, he is still tough defensively, and now he is expected to sign a long-term contract with the Pacers and retire to Indiana for the rest of his life.
5. Caruso
This season, he averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1 block per game
After Caruso was undrafted, he played for the Thunder's Development League team and then joined the South Bay Lakers, and he has been hovering between the Lakers and the Development League ever since. In the 2019-2020 season, under the defense-oriented Vogel, Caruso was frequently entrusted with important responsibilities by the team, and in the playoffs that year, he also relied on his defense to help the team win the championship.
Later, Caruso joined the Bulls, where he not only continued to improve his defense, and was selected to the best defensive team many times, but also shot his career-best three-point shooting this season, so in order to get him, the Thunder did not hesitate to send Giddey in the offseason, and Caruso's arrival also made the Thunder's instant combat power stronger.
4. Strus
He averaged 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4 assists per game this season
Strus signed two-way contracts with both the Celtics and the Bulls after his loss, but after playing two games for the Bulls, he suffered a torn cruciate ligament and a bone contusion. However, the Heat were still willing to believe that Strus could return to the top, so they signed Strus in 2020, and the latter's performance did not disappoint the Heat, and he quickly established himself in the team's rotation.
After playing a high price with the Heat, Strus joined the Cavaliers last year with a high salary, and this season with more responsibilities, he averaged career highs in points, rebounds, and assists per game, and with his help, the Cavaliers still made the playoffs despite frequent injuries to many cores, and this is the first playoff series victory for the Cavaliers since 2018.
3. Reed
This season, he averaged 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game
After Reed was missed, the Timberwolves gave him the opportunity to continue to fight to stay in the NBA, and Reed averaged 9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game in his rookie season, so he also kept his position. Reed has been with the Timberwolves ever since, and as he has progressed, his tactical position on the team has grown, and he has become the team's most important firepower on the bench for both seasons.
Reed averaged career highs in points, rebounds, and assists per game this season, and as an offensive interior lineman, he struggled to shoot 2.1 three-pointers on 41.4% shooting per game, and he played a key role in the Timberwolves' offense throughout the season, so he deservedly won the Sixth Man of the Season.
2. Reeves
He averaged 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game this season
Reaves is different from other players in that he took the initiative to ask for the draft, and this is most likely because he and the Lakers had communicated before the draft, and Reaves was lucky that his rookie season coincided with the Lakers' most chaotic season in recent years, so he also got some playing time, and at that time he won the trust of Vogel and the Lakers with his lifeless defense.
After Ham took over, Reaves' development was also undisturbed, and he was one of the core of the Lakers' Western Conference finals last season, and he is undoubtedly a third-man in the playoffs. This season, the Lakers still spent a lot of time developing Reaves, although the early results were not good, but fortunately, Reaves still found his form behind him, and now he has become close to the Lakers' non-sale level.
1. Van Vleet
This season, he averaged 17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game
After losing the draft, VanVleet played for the Raptors in the 2016 Summer League, and then he was officially signed by the team, and in the second season of his career, VanVleet averaged 8.6 points and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 41.4% from three-point range. In the 2019 playoffs, VanVleet's performance was up and down, but in the end, his form picked up and he eventually helped the team win the championship.
After Leonard's departure, VanVleet got more balls, so he also averaged 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game in the 2021-2022 season, and finally he was selected as an All-Star. VanVleet left the Raptors for the Rockets last year in order to sign a big contract, and this season he is still the team's best outside ball handler, and other than him, other guards have no ability to comb the offense.