Kentucky basketball star Oscar Tshiebwe went undrafted but is still carving out his NBA journey. The former Wildcat was given a two-way contract with the Indiana Pacers and looks to parlay that into making the team.
Oscar Tshiebwe was nothing short of an animal during his tenure in Lexington. The two-time consensus All-American and 2021-22 Wooden Award winner was a central player in the recent wave of big men taking over college basketball.
However, age and style of play were significant factors in Tshiebwe falling out of the NBA Draft and being picked up afterward. It’s not the first time a former All-American in the college game was overlooked by the Association. Still, whenever it happens, it makes you scratch your head. Is the college game that much different for a star to be looked at as a scrub at the next level?
Of course, Tshiebwe is far from a scrub. His game just isn’t very flashy or athletic, which are two things the NBA virtually requires. It’s a thin line in some areas, but in others, the difference between college hoops and the NBA is fairly wide.
Despite teams passing on Tsiebwe with their draft picks, the Indiana Pacers stepped up to the plate and gave the Kentucky basketball star a two-way contract. He joins Liberty’s Darius McGhee and Notre Dame’s Nate Laszewski as undrafted free agents looking to make the team. The Pacers also selected Bilal Coulibaly, Ben Sheppard, Mojave King, and Isaiah Wong in the 2023 NBA Draft. However, they ended up trading Coulibaly for Jarace Walker, who the Washington Wizards had selected 8th overall.
The Pacers are a young team, and following the draft, look to be getting even younger. It puts Tshiebwe in a unique position. As an undrafted free agent, he’ll really have to impress the Pacers organization to earn a spot on the roster. But it’s not as impossible as you may think.