Undrafted Cliff Alexander signs with Portland
Brooklyn Nets’ Cliff Alexander goes up for a shot against New Orleans Pelicans’ Victor Rudd during the first half of an NBA summer league basketball game Monday, July 13, 2015, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Passed on 60 times during the 2015 NBA Draft, one-and-done Kansas big man Cliff Alexander had to make the most of his opportunity in the NBA’s summer leagues to keep his professional dream alive.
Though the 6-foot-9 power forward didn’t dominate as a temporary member of the Brooklyn Nets, Alexander did enough to impress the Portland Trail Blazers, who signed the undrafted post player to a contract Friday afternoon.
Alexander was the first to announce the move, via Twitter: “God has still found ways to bless me through the struggle,” he wrote.
God has still found ways to bless me through the struggle. I am officially apart of the NBA & Trailblazer family
Projected by some to go late in the first round of the draft or early in the second, Alexander watched the made-for-TV event play out without hearing his name called. He later told NBA.com’s Scott Howard-Cooper the entire experience shook him.
“I was thinking I’m not good enough,”
he said during his stint with the Nets. “Can I play this level? Was
it a mistake for me to leave college?
I had a lot of doubts. But I’m back
confident now. I’m good.”The boost in morale, Alexander shared, arrived when Brooklyn gave him a chance to play on its summer league team in both Orlando and Las Vegas. Just getting back to basketball made all the difference for his psyche.
In five Orlando outings, the raw 19-year-old from Chicago, who missed his final eight games with the Jayhawks due to an NCAA investigation, averaged 6.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 0.8 blocks, while only converting 38.9% of his shot attempts.
Alexander continued to struggle with his field-goal percentage (37.7%) in six Las Vegas games, but increased his other numbers: 8.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
In a bit of a rebuilding mode after all-star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge left Portland this summer to join San Antonio, the Blazers needed another post player on which they could take a gamble. But reaching a deal doesn’t necessarily mean playing time for Alexander. Portland has six other front court players currently under contract who are 6-9 or taller and have NBA experience: Chris Kaman, Mason Plumlee, Meyers Leonard, Maurice Harkless, Ed Davis and Al-Farouq Aminu. Coach Terry Stotts figures to play each of them ahead of Alexander until the rookie gives him reasons to do otherwise.
Terms of Alexander’s agreement with Portland have yet to be disclosed.
Between not living up to his No. 4 (Class of 204) national recruiting ranking from Rivals.com once he arrived at KU and averaged 7.1 points and 17.6 minutes, to the allegations of his family receiving improper benefits, to seeing his draft stock free fall, the past year hasn’t been easy for Alexander.
Still, as he told NBA.com prior to signing a contract, the youngster remains optimistic about the next phase of his basketball journey.
“I’m going to show people,” Alexander
said. “I just have to redeem myself.
I’ve been here before. I’ve started
from the bottom before. I’ve been the
underdog before. I know what it takes
to get back on top.”
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