Busting Brackets
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NBA Draft 2019: Top 25 undrafted players since 2000

Jeremy Lin, Atlanta Hawks, Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Jeremy Lin, Atlanta Hawks, Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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J.J. Barea, Dallas Mavericks
J.J. Barea, Dallas Mavericks. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Arguably the best college player on the list, J.J. Barea averaged 20.3 points and 6.4 assists per game in four years at Northeastern. And when the program went to the Colonial Athletic Association Conference his senior season, the 6-foot guard won Player of the Year after putting up 21.0 points and 8.4 assists per game.

Despite the incredible numbers, Barea went undrafted, in part because his size and frame scared away any team from taking a chance on him in the draft. The Dallas Mavericks took a flyer on the Puerto Rican guard in 2006, slowly bringing him along before really making an impact in 2009.

Barea became a fixture on the Mavericks’ bench as a quality perimeter option. He added to a loaded offense with his consistent shooting and passing abilities. But it was 2011 where he solidified his name in Dallas basketball lore.

He had several great performances in the Mavericks’ title run, including 22 points and eight assists in the clinching second-round win over the Angeles Lakers. That game also was the infamous Andrew Bynum cheap shot Barea took, but it didn’t have a big effect on him, dropping 21 points in the opening win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.

The 2011 NBA Finals was dominated by Dirk Nowitzki for Dallas, but Barea had his moments too, scoring 17 and 15 points respectively in the last two victories to win the series. He even had some defensive stops against LeBron James that were noteworthy.

Barea took a nice $12 million free-agent deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves the following offseason, where he put up some good numbers. But he ultimately returned home to Dallas, getting another $16 million on four years in 2014.

At 34 years old and coming off a torn Achilles this past season, it’s very possible that Barea’s career is coming to an end. The Mavericks are moving forward with younger players and it may be best for both sides to move on. But if that’s true, Barea may be one of the five most popular players in franchise history.

Career stats (802 games): 9.0 points, 3.9 assists, 2.1 rebounds per game