I find it really difficult to believe that with all the people following basketball in every nook and cranny in the US as well as globally - and all of the changes in the sport in terms of what sort of body type is in the most demand - that someone like Ben Wallace could go unnoticed, un-drafted and essentially given no shot in 2023.
I mean its certainly possible but its just so hard to see. Fans may still be stuck in thinking about the game a certain way (it seemed to really bother folks that the Celtics could be beaten by the un-drafted Gabe Vincent as if that means anything at all in the moment) but it feels like NBA front offices, like their counterparts in most other major sports are looking for every inefficiency out there. There are so many more channels for talent to reach the NBA and with social media, an athlete who is capable of showing out has far more avenues to market their skills. Talent will always get passed over but it really feels like the NBA is good at finding the actual best players in the world these days.
I mean its certainly possible but its just so hard to see. Fans may still be stuck in thinking about the game a certain way (it seemed to really bother folks that the Celtics could be beaten by the un-drafted Gabe Vincent as if that means anything at all in the moment) but it feels like NBA front offices, like their counterparts in most other major sports are looking for every inefficiency out there. There are so many more channels for talent to reach the NBA and with social media, an athlete who is capable of showing out has far more avenues to market their skills. Talent will always get passed over but it really feels like the NBA is good at finding the actual best players in the world these days.