Being overlooked in the NBA draft might have been a blessing in disguise for Montrealer Karim Mané.
“If you’re drafted in the first round, you’re guaranteed a contract, but that’s not the case if you’re selected in the second round and one teams holds your rights,” said Andrew Hertzog, who is the longtime coach of the Vanier College Cheetahs men’s basketball team. “If you’re not drafted, you are a free agent and you have some choices.”
After leading Vanier to two provincial titles, Mané was hoping to make history as the first player to jump from the CEGEP ranks to the NBA without stopping at a U.S. college on the way.
While Mané was projected as a late second-round pick in a couple of mock drafts, Hertzog noted there were a couple of factors that hurt his chances.
“He was hurt for a good part of last season and, because of the pandemic, there was no NBA combine and he missed some opportunities to work out for teams,” said Hertzog.
The path will be a little more difficult because he wasn’t drafted, but he has a couple of role models in Montrealers Luguentz Dort and Chris Boucher , who both found their way to the NBA after being overlooked in the draft.
Dort provided Mané with some encouragement Thursday when he tweeted: “Not being drafted isn’t the end, use it as fuel. It’s just a number.”
Dort was undrafted last year after a strong freshman year at Arizona State, but he was signed to a two-way contract by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He started the season with the Oklahoma City Blue of the developmental G-League, but was promoted to the Thunder in December. When the regular season was halted, he had started 28 of 36 games and was a starter for all six of the Thunder’s playoff games. At the end of the season, he was rewarded with a four-year contract.
Boucher had a similar experience after he went undrafted following his college career at Oregon. He was a G-League MVP with the Raptors 905 before being promoted to the NBA team. He was part of Toronto’s championship in 2019 and has received a qualifying offer for the coming season.
Mané doesn’t have as many options as he would have in normal times and he lost one after he entered the NBA draft. There’s a provision for undrafted players to return to college, but Mané — who has heavily recruited by powerhouses like Michigan State, Marquette and Georgetown — lost that option when he signed with an agent.
There’s some uncertainty over whether the G-League will operate this winter, but Hertzog heard there are some teams that showed an interest in Mané and there was also some interest from teams in the top league in Spain.
Mané’s uncle, Senegalese national team player Maurice N’dour, played in Spain for Valencia last year, but is currently playing for Rytas Vilnius in Lithuania. N’dour played one season with the New York Knicks and has served as an adviser to Mané.
This is the first time in 10 years a Canadian has not been selected in the NBA draft. Delaware sharpshooter Nate Darling was also overlooked, but the Halifax native signed a two-way deal with the Charlotte Hornets Thursday.
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