Sixty players heard their names called in the NBA Draft on Thursday. However, after months of working out for NBA teams Wayne Selden, Perry Ellis and Brannen Greene were not among them.
So what’s next for the former Jayhawks?
Even though they weren’t drafted it’s still very possible that all of them will get a chance to make an NBA roster by performing well in the summer league.
All three former Jayhawks have the ability to negotiate their own contract terms as opposed to just being paid based on where they were picked, which could turn out to be an advantage over being selected late in the draft.
Selden, Ellis and Greene will all have the ability to examine each roster in the NBA and pick one where they feel like they have the best chance to make the team. It’s no guarantee, but Self believes all three guys have a shot to be on a roster come next fall.
“I am confident I will see them on a roster,” Bill Self said in a KU Athletics press release. “Perry had an exceptional career, as did Wayne. Both were three-year starters. If Brannen can get in the right situation, a lot of teams liked him. I do believe they are not in a bad position.”
Selden was widely considered a second round pick after he declared for the draft in March. But a knee surgery caused him to miss the combine, and he stock seemed to fall after that.
If it don't kill you...
— Wayne Selden Jr. (@WayneSeldenJr) June 24, 2016
It’s possible that Selden’s health issues scared teams off. His surgery in May was his second knee surgery in the last three seasons and he also had his leg operated on in high school.
"“Shortly after his summer came to an end, Selden was diagnosed with compartment syndrome and required to undergo surgery in August.The procedure left him with a 10-inch scar down the side of his calf muscle and forced him to sit out the first four weeks of Tilton’s preseason workouts,” ESPN.com."
It was less of a surprise to see Ellis and Greene go undrafted. Ellis was always considered a guy that may go at the very end of the draft but would likely be undrafted. In Greene’s case, it would have been one of the biggest surprises of the draft if he were selected.
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This is the third year in a row a Jayhawk has gone undrafted.
In 2014, Tarik Black was undrafted and eventually signed by the Houston Rockets and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers after impressing in summer league.
In 2015, Cliff Alexander suffered a similar fate, but the Portland Trailblazers signed him.
Both guys are still in the league, although Black has made a larger impact than Alexander. Alexander appeared in just eight games in his rookie season while Black has appeared in 102 games in two seasons.
It certainly won’t be easy, but just because Selden, Ellis and Greene didn’t get drafted doesn’t mean their dreams of a long NBA career are dead yet.