Before the 2016 NBA Draft, former NC State point guard Cat Barber was projected to go off the board anywhere from the end of the first round to the middle of the second round. The overall expectation was that, at the very least, he would get drafted at some point. However, that was not the case, as he fell out of the draft entirely and became a free agent.
Barber’s decision to forego his senior year and enter the draft was not a hotly contested one, as he had his best year of his college career while leading the ACC in scoring. However, Barber didn’t have much reason to stay with NC State since the highest ranked recruit NC State has ever courted, point guard Dennis Smith Jr., is arriving this year. Additionally, Barber has to provide for his daughter, and a professional basketball player’s salary would certainly assist with that.
Though he arguably made the right decision, he became the fifth NC State player in four years to declare early for the draft and the third to go undrafted.
So how does the ACC’s leading scorer go undrafted? Statistically, he had an incredible year, averaging 23.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while playing almost 39 minutes per game. But, obviously, individual numbers aren’t the only things that go into scouting an NBA prospect.
His team struggled, winning just five ACC games and finishing with a losing record for the first time under head coach Mark Gottfried. This led to questions about his leadership and whether he had the ability to better his teammates. However, this is not something NBA teams should’ve held against him, as the Wolfpack simply lacked consistent scorers. Other than Barber, forward Abdul-Malik Abu was the only player to average more than 10 points per game and shoot better than 40 percent from the field.
Another issue with Barber is his small frame. Measuring at 6 feet 2.75 inches and 173 pounds at the NBA combine, he was the sixth-shortest and third-lightest participant. Of the 11 point guards taken in the draft, all four in the first round were 6-foot-4 or taller. The only two that were sub-6-footers were Kay Felder and Tyler Ulis, who ranked first and sixth in assists per game with 9.3 and 7.2 respectively, while Barber ranked just outside the top 100.
However, for the most part, Barber’s strengths balance out his weaknesses very well. He makes up for his slender frame with polarizing speed and agility that are simply unteachable assets on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. His passing improved every year at NC State despite a lack of offensive weapons last season, jumping from 3.7 to 4.5 per game in one year. These strengths should have set him enough apart from others to at least be considered in the second round, but NBA teams did not share that opinion.
Although he went undrafted, some would argue that it is better than being a late-second round pick, as he got to pick his destination and the majority of second rounders don’t receive guaranteed contracts anyway.
Almost immediately after the draft, as he was a hot commodity as an undrafted free agent, Barber signed with the New Orleans Pelicans to play on their summer league team. This will be a good opportunity for Barber to prove he can make an impact with an NBA organization against lower-level NBA talent. If he plays well enough, he could earn a spot with the Pelicans in training camp.
If that works out, it isn’t too farfetched to say he could make the Pelicans’ final roster. While the team currently has four true point guards — Jrue Holiday, Norris Cole, Toney Douglas and Tim Frazier — he could end up beating out one or both of the latter two for a roster spot, as they were called up after injuries to Holiday and Cole. Overall, it is arguably one of the better landing spots for Barber, given Cole’s impending free agency and Holiday’s injury history (played in only 139 out of 246 games in the past three seasons).
While Barber probably should have been drafted, he could be in better position than some of the players who were selected in the second round (see Marcus Paige as one of seven point guards with the Utah Jazz). Worst case scenario, he either plays D-League ball or follows former teammate Trevor Lacey overseas and makes a name for himself there.
