It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it?Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, the opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace, that fits best with their path to the NBA. 

Introduction

I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2023 second-round picks and undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2023-24 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence.As I will frequently emphasize and reiterate: in 2023, there is very little difference between the vast majority of second-round draft picks and undrafted free agents--it always all comes down to the skillsets they possess, their capacity for growth, and the situations they've landed in.Seasons will be made and broken with early identification of the diamond-in-the-rough rookies. I used to list out the many examples from the past season in this introduction portion, but we are now in a beautiful era where there are just too many to count. There is also very little separating the featured players below and those dubbed "Honorable Mentions"--so put in the work and keep an eye out throughout the regular season for who is receiving and seizing their opportunities. 

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Los Angeles Clippers forward Moussa Diabate has agreed to a two-way contract with the organization on Monday. The 21-year-old appeared in 22 games with the Clippers last season while on a two-way deal. He averaged 2.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.2 assists across 8.9 minutes per game. Diabate made two appearances in the Summer League this year before suffering a rib contusion. He missed the final three games because of that, but should be fine by training camp. It's uncertain if Diabate will make the Clippers roster right away, so he'll likely spend a majority of his time in the G-League.

The Los Angeles Clippers have tendered a two-way qualifying offer to forward Moussa Diabate. Doing this makes the 21-year-old a restricted free agent this summer. Diabate made the all-rookie team in the G-League this past season. He has left a strong impression on the Clippers organization. Last season, Diabate averaged 15.9 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while in the G-League. He saw some brief time with the Clippers as well, but only averaged 8.9 minutes per game. The assumption is that Diabate will have a bigger role on the Clippers going forward, but that depends on how this offseason goes for them.