[Revelation] How hard is it for a player eliminated by the NBA to return to the NBA? Does persistence have results?

In NBA , not every rookie with a high draft has a smooth sailing after entering the league, and some rookies with a high draft can hardly even get a second contract. However, these players have never given up and returned to the NBA. They are even willing to change their style of play. Nick Stauskas, Justin Parton and Sam Dekker are just such players. Below are the experiences and stories of these three players.

Nick Stauskas

The first season of LeBron James to join the Lakers in the 2018-19 season is LeBron James Lakers _span 4span 3span Looking forward to James leading the Lakers back to the top. However, James’s debut after coming to the Lakers was disrupted by Stauskas. He also became the unexpected focus of this national live game. Stauskas scored 24 points to help and the Blazers defeated . Lakers. Stauskas said in an interview afterwards: "That was one of the most impressive games since I entered the NBA. I proved my strength with my actions and performance. At that time, my career was still working hard in the league. The stage of gaining a foothold."

Before joining the Blazers, Stauskas went through several twists and turns. In 2014, he joined the Kings as the No. 8 pick. The team changed head coach three times during his rookie season. He was later traded to the 76ers. After staying there for two years, he went to the Nets, and then Stauskas signed with the Trail Blazers as a free agent. During his time in Portland, Stauskas felt that he had established a foothold in the league. At that time, he was a substitute player with a certain rotation time for the Blazers. However, he was traded to three teams within a week in the middle of the season. Finally, he played that season in Cavaliers .Stauskas recalled: "That was the first time I found a sense of belonging after entering the league, but later things made it hard for me to accept. I immediately returned to the original point, back to the beginning."

After that season, Stauskas once again embarked on the path of striving to enter the NBA. Later, he participated in the Spanish League, but had to interrupt the game due to knee surgery. After recovering from injury, he joined the Span3span Raptors Development League team waiting for the opportunity to enter the NBA. There are many players like him. Many potential stocks are no one cares about after only a period of time in the league. They can only Choosing to play in overseas leagues or development leagues, they are still eager to return to that day in the NBA.

Justin Paton

Paton’s career is as good as Stauskas’s season. Won the status of the 16th rookie in the 2017 draft. However, a foot injury ruined his rookie season. After waiting for a long time to finally recover from the injury, his other foot was injured again, and then he was traded many times.

For every team, the draft is a gamble. Related data shows that the probability of a player after the top three picks becoming an All-Star is about 40%, but the high-ranking rookies are only a few years away. It's rare to be eliminated by the league. From 1990 to 2010, the average career age of the No. 8 player was about ten years, and the average career age of the No. 16 player was nine years. Parton moved to three teams in three years (Timberwolves, 76ers and Thunder ), and he played a total of 9 games for these teams.

Fortunately, Patton doesn't feel that the team management has doubted his potential. He almost hears "progressive" or "mature" comments. Both Ty Gibson and Steven Span3span Adams gave him advice on nutrition and stretching exercises.The two veterans suggested that Parton think about the problem from the perspective of professional players, but Parton did not fully accept these opinions at the time. Later, when he reflected on himself, he realized that he had used too much force in training, and he often made senseless noises with his teammates in the locker room. He said: "I didn't really understand what they meant after a few months. The league was suspended due to the epidemic. During the period, I have been reflecting on myself. When the veteran gave me advice, I did not understand their words carefully. It was like treating the elementary school teachers of the year. I will wake up after many years."

After the epidemic swept across the United States in March last year, The Development League cancelled all remaining games. At that time, Patton only played 7 games on behalf of the Bucks Development League team. After the suspension, Parton could only do simple exercises at home. He said: "All this has affected me too much. After the quarantine, I finally returned home. I bought a basket for simple shooting training. Before. The rhythm of life has been disrupted. I have never encountered such difficulties. After adjusting to a period of time, I feel more like a professional player and become more self-disciplined."

23-year-old Pa Dunn has experienced a lot. He was once the center that surprised American college basketball experts. Until now, he still firmly believes that he has the strength to become a top ten center in the league. He represented the Bucks and the Thunder in the Development League last season, averaging 3.2 blocks per game. In the final game of the Thunder Development League team, he scored 45 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists and 6 blocks. Parton knows that only by showing a tough defense can he return to the NBA, because the main purpose of the home team's recall of players from the development league team is to make up for the team's defensive loopholes, and scoring ability is not the most important.

Parton has improved a lot during the long offseason. He seriously considered the advice others gave him, and also used treatment to restore his body to its best condition. With the help of the trainer, Parton prepared for the new season in a safe training hall. He adjusted some details of his style of play. Instead of rushing blindly as before, he fixed the range of activities near the penalty area. ,This is what he learned from Adams. Parton said: "In my opinion, the development of the league is more competitive than the NBA. Every player here is doing their best. On the contrary, there are some players in the NBA who are not enterprising."

The NBA has played well-known players in the development league before, such as Danny Green, Jeremy Lin, Spencer Dinwiddie and Seth Curry, but the protagonists of these success stories are mostly undrafted or second-round picks. Nuggets Scouting Director Jimmy said: "For them, they were eliminated early before the first round is over. This is a very big shame. In what way will those young players prove themselves? Only the real Those who persist until the end will usher in the dawn."

Although some overseas teams are very interested in Patton, he does not plan to play overseas. He knows that the development league is the closest place to the NBA. From an economic point of view, staying in the Development League is a good choice. When the Development League was founded in 2001, the basic salary was only 12,000 US dollars. Now the basic salary is 35,000 US dollars. When the Bucks decided not to participate in the Development League Park game, Parton participated in the Development League Draft. He was also selected by the Westchester Knicks with the 9th overall pick. Parton said: "I have no retreat. As long as I can continue to play, I will stick to it." Din Parton signed a two-way contract to fill the vacancy during Wood's injury. So far, Parton has played 9 games on behalf of the Rockets, averaging 6.8 points and 4 rebounds per game.

Sam Decker

Dekker was also a rookie player who joined the Rockets as the 18th player in the NBA. . In 2019, he joined a powerful team in the Russian League.Playing overseas is a big test for every player. Unfamiliar cities, new languages, and jet lag are all difficulties that need to be overcome. Although the income of playing overseas is good, some small things will become more troublesome, such as checkout and refueling, and life is also very uncomfortable. The big test. Dekker said: "Sometimes I feel scared in an unfamiliar environment. This is something I have to admit. But I can only keep telling myself that only by persevering can I get one step closer to my dream. What can't be overcome."

Dekker's three-point ability is very poor. His three-pointers in the Rockets, , Clippers, Cavaliers and Wizards are only 29%. In the Russian league, although he is one of the team's highest scoring players, but the outside shooting rate is still very low. After the epidemic suspended the league, Dekker returned to the United States. His agent fought for him the opportunity to participate in the NBA semi-finals. However, the league stipulates that overseas players are not eligible to participate in the semi-finals. Unlike those players who compete in the development league, Dekker chose to go to overseas leagues to meet new challenges. He said: "While challenging some high-level international leagues, I am also waiting for a good opportunity to return to the NBA."

This season Dekker has joined the Ankara Turk Telekom team in the Turkish Premier League. He will The three-point shooting percentage has increased to 48% (Europe’s three-point line is nearly 19 inches higher than the NBA). Dekker knows very well that if he returns to the NBA, his role will not be a scorer. He said: "Almost every team has no shortage of scorers. Most teams hope that new players have good defense and three Sub-ability."

Many players are willing to accept different roles in order to return to the NBA, such as Aipa-Udu. He joined the Warriors with the 6th overall pick in 2010. After five seasons in the NBA, he joined the Turkish giants Fenerbahçe, and he has also become a new star in the Champions League. Yudo was also elected as the MVP of the final semi-finals of the European League before Doncic turned out.His outstanding performance attracted the attention of jazz , and the jazz gave him a two-year contract. Returning to the NBA does not mean that his career will tend to stabilize. In the first year of joining the Jazz, he was a defensive expert on the team's bench, but in the second year he averaged only 6 minutes per game. Soon Yudu went to play in overseas leagues again, this time he came to CBA.

Relatively speaking, the salary of returning to the NBA is not as high as the salary of overseas leagues. Some star players in international competitions have monthly salaries of 6 or even 7 digits. Therefore, returning to the NBA is not every player’s first salary. One choice. A team executive said: "Most players will go to overseas leagues because of salary issues."

Sean Larkin was a rookie with the top 20 pick in 2013. He is now the core of the Turkish League Anatolia Efes. Last year he signed a two-year $7.7 million contract with the team, which is twice the basic salary he can get in the NBA. No matter where these former high-ranking rookies choose to play, they should have further growth, especially in terms of attitude. Dekker said: "Players should look at their careers on the basis of knowing their abilities. It is important to recognize the gap between ideals and reality." Just like Stauskas, although he is not very satisfied with the status quo, he also thinks about it. One day he can return to the NBA, but he has accepted the reality and will not regret not being able to return to the NBA.