7 Players in the NBA Draft Who Defied All Odds to Get There

The easy road isn't a road often traveled. Conquering obstacles and taking the hard road is a key part to achieving greatness. Each year prior to the NBA draft, a series of prospects are forced to defy the odds if they want to make it to the league.

We wanted to explore seven names who fit that billing. These are guys who have already overcome things like size, hype and lack of experience. The one common denominator is they all have a shot to be drafted despite being fastened with flaws.

Let's get right into it and find out who made the list.

Tyler Ulis

Ron Irby/Associated Press

Height—or the lack thereof—is usually an exuberant obstacle for NBA prospects to try to overcome. Kentucky guard Tyler Ulis understands this.

Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal spoke with ESPN's Chad Ford about it back in November 2015. Ford responded to the height question by saying, "From a talent standpoint, he’s an NBA player all the way, and if he was 6-foot-2 or 6-foot-3, we’d be talking about Tyler as a top-five prospect in this draft."

The sentiment hasn't dramatically changed. Bleacher Report's own Joe Pantorno mocked Ulis to the Philadelphia 76ers at pick No. 24.

If his tape is any indication, Ulis has found a way to overcome his 5'9" frame. His  averages of 17.3 points and seven assists per game led head coach John Calipari's Wildcats, proving that despite his height, this young man has a lot to offer an NBA team.

Kay Felder

Dave Reginek/Getty Images

Being listed under six feet tall—5'9" to be exact—and playing for a mid-major school has got to be the kiss of death in terms of getting your career started in the NBA. Oakland guard Kay Felder has overcome both, hiring Michael Silverman as his agent, per Silverman's Instagram account.

The move solidifies his status in the upcoming draft.

Felder was insanely productive at Oakland, where he averaged 24.4 points and 9.3 assists per game last season. His success has drawn praise from scouts and even NBA stars like Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.

He's a guy you watch on film and immediately are drawn in by his tenacity and skill set. We touched on it earlier, but the lack of size really is a big deal. For every J.J. Barea or Isaiah Thomas there's a Sebastian Telfair.

It's cool to see Felder throw his name into the draft. Hopefully his college talent translates over to the pros. 

Dragan Bender

JACK GUEZ/Getty Images

You might be asking, how does a player who's perceived to be one of the top picks this year's draft find himself on this list?

We'll sum it up with one word: hype. It's a word we fawn over when it comes to NBA prospects. It's also a word that rings even truer for foreign prospects.

Without the NCAA as a backbone, players from outside of the United States tend to be hit-or-miss. Darko Milicic serves as an infamous disaster, being selected over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in 2003.

Dragan Bender has an opportunity to show to the world he means business, even though the 7-footer has a lot of unanswered questions surrounding his game.

ESPN's Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton discussed Bender's potential. Lack of experience was a huge sticking point. "He's averaging 12 minutes per game, but his role is quite limited, especially offensively," Ford mentioned about his experience overseas.

Overcoming hype isn't easy. But based on Bender's projected top-five draft status—per ESPN's Chad Ford—he's already made strides in that department.

Nic Moore

Lance King/Getty Images

Continuing to make the case for undersized guards overcoming insurmountable obstacles means that 5'9" SMU guard Nic Moore has to be featured.

Moore's guard play at SMU was riveting to watch. He went on to average 16.1 points per game and 5.2 assists over the 2015-16 season, slicing to the lane, pulling back for jumpers and taking control of head coach Larry Brown's offense.

Getting drafted at that height could prove to be a bit of a challenge—though he is good enough to warrant a selection.

The good news is certain scouts do like him. Bobby Gonzalez of Sheridan Hoops went on record calling him a "hidden gem" in this year's draft.

Moore has already overcome his height in college. Like Tyler Ulis or Kay Felder, seeing the dynamic guard find his groove in the NBA would be worthwhile.

DeAndre' Bembry

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

Saint Joseph forward DeAndre' Bembry is a unique prospect for a host of reasons. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman noted that he reminds him of Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler in more ways than one—especially when it comes to his draft status.

"But after a pair of productive seasons to close out his college career, the NBA buzz never got loud. Like for Butler, the specific statistical strides didn't happen, and scouts noticed," Wasserman penned about the 6'6" swingman.

Is it feasible Bembry's career will reflect that of Butler? He's already tackled intense obstacles as a two-way wing player floating under the radar.

Bembry's 17.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists last season were accomplished without a jumper, as Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports reported. He beat the odds and became a standout player with a raw, underdeveloped offensive arsenal. 

As he now rounds the corner and makes a turn toward the NBA, Bembry will have to show out and prove his doubters wrong once again.

Furkan Korkmaz

International players tend to be some of the hardest to scout—see Dragan Bender earlier in the slideshow.

So when it comes to Euroleague shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz overcoming the odds, the reason is simple: there's just not enough tape or scouting out there to fully predict his abilities on the court.

From the film you can get your hands on, Korkmaz looks like a natural scorer. He's quick to the hoop, has strong footwork and appears to be a robust jump shooter—even in traffic.

But NBA teams will have to find a way to dig past the surface and see what he's really about. It's a miracle at this point the process sites like Hoops Hype have Korkmaz slated to be selected No. 12 overall.

When you go from obscurity to a possible first-round choice, overcoming the odds perfectly describes your NBA draft journey.

Thon Maker

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Thon Maker's story is unlike anyone else in this year's draft. Projected to be a late-first round pick by ESPN's Chad Ford, Maker got his start as a YouTube sensation.

CBS Sports' Sam Vecenie wrote about Maker's transition from internet star to an actual NBA prospect. In the piece, Vecenie discussed how Maker has already beat the odds, especially when it comes to maturity: "Or maybe it has to do with all of the life experience that he's already undertaken, moving from Sudan to Australia as a child, and then from there to North America when he was a teenager."

Maker now enters the NBA with sights set on nothing but basketball. Which is something he's going to need to focus on, looking at his lack of high-level experience on film. It's amazing he's gotten this far in the process.

All stats and information via Sports-Reference.com, unless noted otherwise.