NBA Undrafted Free Agents 2014: Tracking Top Prospects and Signings
Updates from Friday, June 27
Adam Zagoria of SNY reports that C.J. Fair has found a landing spot for the Summer League:
Zagoria also reported that DeAndre Kane and Roscoe Smith had found a home as well:
"DeAndre Kane and Roscoe Smith went undrafted Thursday night, but both will get a shot with the Los Angeles Lakers’ summer league team in Las Vegas next month, SNY.tv. has learned.
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Zagoria added JaKarr Sampson's destination as well:
David Aldridge of TNT reports that massive center Sim Bhullar has found a home:
Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy has more on two players who are set to join the Lakers:
Kennedy also had news on Aaron Craft and Sean Kilpatrick:
Original Text
What do Avery Johnson, John Starks and Bruce Bowen all have in common? All three went undrafted in their respective draft year but went on to have productive NBA careers.
As for this year's group, just 60 players heard their names called on Thursday night and will promptly begin their NBA careers this summer. Those that didn't get the call will have to wait for another chance to chase their dreams.
Following the months of preparation that every franchise put into the entire draft process, scouts and executives will try to pick out the best undrafted names in order to bolster their rosters. With several notable players that rose to stardom in the college basketball game, there is still a good crop available that is ripe for the picking.
While it's still too early in the process to know whether any of the players will materialize into a Starks or Bowen type of player, each will work his way through the summer league in an effort to earn a shot in the NBA.
Here's a look at the list of some of the biggest undrafted free-agent names and where they're headed.
| Bryce Cotton | PG | Providence | San Antonio Spurs |
| James Michael McAdoo | PF | North Carolina | Golden State Warriors |
| Sim Bhullar | C | New Mexico State | Sacramento Kings |
| Roscoe Smith | PF | UNLV | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Jordan Bachynski | C | Arizona State | Charlotte Hornets |
| Khem Birch | PF | UNLV | Washington Wizards |
| C.J. Fair | SF/PF | Syracuse | Dallas Mavericks |
| Aaron Craft | PG | Ohio State | Philadelphia 76ers/Golden State Warriors |
| LaQuinton Ross | SF | Ohio State | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Melvin Ejim | SF | Iowa State | Philadelphia 76ers/San Antonio Spurs |
| Sean Kilpatrick | SG | Cincinnati | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Jahii Carson | PG | Arizona State | Houston Rockets |
| Jakarr Sampson | SF | St. John's | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Scottie Wilbekin | PG | Florida | Memphis Grizzlies |
| DeAndre Kane | PG/SG | Iowa State | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Patric Young | C | Florida | New Orleans Pelicans |
Bryce Cotton, PG, Providence
Being a two-time All-Big East player and conference scoring champion used to mean something. That's exactly what Bryce Cotton is, as he was named the Big East scoring champion in 2013 and won the Big East Tournament MVP in 2014. Yet through 60 selections in this year's draft, his name wasn't called.
A relentless player who is also a skilled ball-handling point guard, Cotton has good size and speed for the position. At just a shade under 6'0" and 163 pounds, Cotton might need to put on some muscle to compete in the NBA, but he has the ability to put on a show when he's on the court.
Leading up to the draft, Cotton referenced the fact that he might not get drafted, per Craig Belhumeur of Cox Sports:
"I don’t believe in back up plans. I am either going to do something or I’m not. I’ve positioned myself to the best of my abilities and I’ve given it all I have. I have a firm faith in God and we’ll see what he has in store, but I only focus on what I set out to do so hopefully that’s in God’s plan.
"
Basically, what Cotton was trying to say is this: Don't expect him to go down without a fight.
Oh, and then there's the fact that he can reportedly jump ridiculously high for a point guard, per Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal:
After averaging 21.8 points, 5.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds during his senior campaign, Cotton brings a knack for scoring from the point to go along with great court vision. Another astounding average was his 39.9 minutes per contest—that's out of 40—during his final season with Providence.
Regardless of what happens for the young man, he'll still have a great day on Friday, as he is set to get married, per Belhumeur. If and when he makes an NBA or D-League roster, expect him to do everything he can to stay there.
James Michael McAdoo, PF, North Carolina
Despite having another year of eligibility remaining to play under Roy Williams at North Carolina, James Michael McAdoo decided to enter the draft early. That clearly didn't pay off for the big man.
McAdoo came into the Tar Heels program with visions of being a lottery pick, but he decided to stick around after his freshman campaign and ultimately left after his junior year. Jay Bilas of ESPN spoke about the 6'9" forward leading up to the draft and the potential of him not being drafted, via Ed Miller of the Virginia-Pilot:
"He's been a very good college player and had a really good college career, he did a lot of really good things, but he never really came around to what I thought he had a chance to be.
... If you had told me that when he was coming out of high school, I would've said no way, come on.
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Much like former N.C. State star C.J. Leslie last year, the UNC product ultimately didn't hear his name called. Leslie, who left the Wolfpack early for the draft, had a similar story as McAdoo, as Brett Strelow of the Fayetteville Observer notes:
McAdoo still has the talent to potentially crack a roster in the NBA, but he will have to show much more consistency than he did at the college level. Heading into the summer league, McAdoo will have to prove that the hype was real, and then some.
Sim Bhullar, C, New Mexico State
Simply put, Sim Bhullar is the biggest man in this year's class. Standing at 7'5", 360 pounds, he has both the body and mass to be an unstoppable force in the paint.
After just two years with New Mexico State, the 21-year-old decided to forgo his final two seasons of eligibility and enter the draft. While things didn't necessarily work out for Bhullar, he will likely get a chance to show his skills in the summer league for an NBA franchise.
After averaging 10.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game, he might just have a future in the NBA or overseas. While not everyone was sold on the prospect coming out, Jason Groves of the Las Cruces Sun-News notes why the he needed to make the jump:
"Critics quick to point out Bhullar's lack of conditioning as a reason he wouldn't be a successful pro are missing the fact that after two record-setting seasons at NMSU, Bhullar gains nothing from going against 6-foot-5 post players in the Western Athletic Conference. Or that college players are limited to eight hours a week with the NMSU coaching staff this time of year.
Men of Bhullar's stature don't have a proven track record of long-tenured careers, at least not in the NBA. He suffered a foot injury during his redshirt season of 2011-12, then missed five games this year with another foot injury.
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The two-time WAC Tournament MVP wasn't able to become the first-ever NBA player of Indian descent, but he appears to have a fall-back plan. Before the draft ever got underway, the Harlem Globetrotters picked the huge player in the annual player draft, per the team's official website, with their director of personnel Sweet Lou Dunbar talking about the center.
"Sim Bhullar is a mountain of a man that can put the ball in the hole," Dunbar said, "... and certainly keep others from doing so."
A mountain of a man, he is. As for whether or not he'll make an NBA roster, that's still anyone's guess.
Roscoe Smith, PF, UNLV
Another player to leave early from college, Roscoe Smith didn't hear his name called in the draft. But as a double-double machine at the college level, some of those numbers might just translate in the summer league.
Smith spoke about what he brings to the NBA level and his thoughts on getting a chance with any franchise, per Aaron Dodson of the Baltimore Sun:
"My dream has always been just to play in the NBA. I compare myself to a Kawhi Leonard, a versatile guy who plays defense and can knock down shots. [...]
I'm just hoping that I have the opportunity to get my name called. It's just about keeping up the hard work, keeping up the faith.
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Unlike Bhullar, Smith might have had good reason to depart from UNLV. Maybe he saw the writing on the wall with Dave Rice bringing in the No. 5-ranked recruiting class this year, per 247Sports' composite rankings, or maybe he simply believed his game is up to par for the NBA level.
While no GM in the league thought he was worthy of being drafted, Smith might just have a chance to crack a D-League roster. The UConn transfer averaged 11.1 points and 10.9 rebounds for the Rebels last season, but he will have to learn to play with his back to the basket in order to excel at the next level.
Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.
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