Last Tuesday, the Indiana Pacers roared back en route to a 101-85 victory, and a series tie, behind the play of All-Star Paul George (27 points and 10 rebounds) keeping the pace, but it was the Pacers bench, Louis Scola (20 points and 7 rebounds) and C.J. Watson (10 points and 2 steals) that helped the Pacers stay in the game in the 2nd and 4th quarters. That got us at The Hoop Doctors thinking about what other undrafted players are making their impact felt during this year’s playoffs?
7. Udonis Haslem (Miami Heat)
2014 Playoffs (2 games)
| 2.0 ppg | 4.0 rpg | 0.50 bpg |
Regular Season
| 3.8 ppg | 3.8 rpg | 0.33 bpg |
In game 2 of Miami’s First Round series against the Charlotte Bobcats, Haslem grabbed 5 rebounds. Florida Gator Udonis Haslem was originally cut by the Atlanta Hawks after college, before he played a year in France, and was then signed by the Miami Heat as an undrafted rookie in 2003. Since then, Haslem has been a reliable power forward, true professional, and leader on all 3 of Dwayne Wade’s championship Miami Heat teams.
6. Chris Andersen (Miami Heat)
2014 Playoffs (2 games)
| 7.5 ppg | 7.0 rpg | 1.50 bpg | 66.7% FG |
Regular Season
| 6.6 ppg | 5.3 rpg | 1.35 bpg | 64.4% FG |
As usual, Chris Andersen is scoring, rebounding, and defending even at age 35. In 2 wins, Andersen has put up 8 points and 10 boards in game 1 and 7 points and 2 blocks in game 2. Long Beach native, Andersen played a year at Blinn College in Texas before playing in the Chinese Basketball League and others. He was drafted into the NBADL in 2001, but he was quickly picked up by the Denver Nuggets, where he played 7 years. Andersen was the first player from the NBADL ever called up to the NBA.
5. C.J. Watson (Indiana Pacers)
2014 Playoffs
| 8.0 ppg | 1.0 spg | 44.4% FG | 66.7% 3PT |
Regular Season
| 6.6 ppg | 0.95 spg | 43.7% FG | 36.6% 3PT |
Indiana’s C.J. Watson, who has also played for Chicago and Utah, had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals off the bench during crucial minutes of the Pacers. After going undrafted following his senior year at Tennessee in 2006, Watson played briefly for the San Antonio Spurs during summer league, but went unsigned. Watson played for Italian and Greek teams before returning to the U.S. to participate in the Bobcats camp in 2007, but Watson still played another year in the D-League before finally being signed by the Golden State Warriors as a free agent call-up from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
4. Jose Calderon (Dallas Mavericks)
2014 Playoffs (2 games)
| 9.5 ppg | 3.4 apg | 42.1% FG | 33.3% 3PT |
Regular Season
| 11.4 ppg | 4.7 apg | 45.6% FG | 44.9% 3PT |
Jose Calderon starts at point guard for the Dallas Mavericks and is a key part of the Mavs success this season. After a distinguished international career (1998-2005), Calderon signed with the Toronto Raptors on August 3rd, 2005. A few seasons later, Calderon set an NBA record for free throw shooting in a season, making 151 of 154 free throws, 98.1%, in 2008-2009.
3. Gary Neal (Charlotte Bobcats)
2014 Playoffs (2 games)
| 10.0 ppg | 2.0 rpg | 33.3% FG | 37.5% 3PT |
Regular Season
| 11.2 ppg | 1.8 rpg | 43.8% FG | 40.6% 3PT |
In the Bobcats 99-88 loss in game 1, Gary Neal scored 17 points on 2/5 from beyond three. Neal came to the Bobcats in a mid-season trade from Milwaukee. This season Neal has enjoyed a career-high in scoring (11.2 ppg) and free throw shooting (96.1%). After playing his college ball at La Salle and later Towson University, Neal played basketball in Turkey, Spain, and Italy before signing with the San Antonio Spurs in 2010.
Heat v. Bobcats Game 1 Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-ispNLqA7A
2. Jeremy Lin (Houston Rockets)
2014 Playoffs (2 games)
| 9.5 ppg | 4.5 rpg | 4.5 apg | 37.5% FG |
Regular Season
| 12.5 ppg | 2.6 rpg | 4.1 apg | 44.6% FG |
Jeremy Lin had a solid game 1 against the Portland Trailblazers, posting 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Lin is an All-Ivy Leaguer out of Harvard University with a degree in Economics. After going undrafted, Lin played summer league for the Dallas Mavericks, which led to him signing with his hometown Golden State Warriors in 2010. The first Chinese or Taiwanese player in NBA history, Lin signed a 3-year, $25-million dollar deal with the Rockets, but he lost his starting job to Patrick Beverly, so now he’s a spark off the bench for Houston.
1. Wesley Matthews (Portland Trailblazers)
2014 Playoffs (2 games)
| 13.5 ppg | 2.5 rpg | 1.0 apg | 2.0 spg |
Regular Season
| 16.4 ppg | 3.5 rpg | 2.4 apg | 0.93 spg |
The 3rd leading scorer on his team behind All-Stars LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews scored 18 points and grabbed 3 steals in game 1 versus the Houston Rockets. Son of former NBA player Wes Matthews, Wesley Matthews played for Marquette before participating in summer leagues for the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings. On September 25th, 2009, Matthews signed a 1-year deal with the Jazz, and his career has flourished the more opportunity he receives. This season, Matthews posted career-highs in scoring and rebounding, while playing all 82 games for the Blazers.
Wesley Matthews Highlights v Spurs (2014):
