Warriors: Mychal Mulder is a true underdog story of perseverance
By Justin Fried
The Golden State Warriors have signed G-League standout Mychal Mulder to a 10-day contract marking another chapter in his incredible underdog story.
Newly-signed Golden State Warriors guard Mychal Mulder wasn’t surprised when he went undrafted following the conclusion of the 2017 NBA Draft.
The Ontario native first attended junior college at Vincennes University in a small town in Indiana where he shined earning junior college All-America honors. After his sophomore season, Mulder would transfer to a much larger school in Kentucky.
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Playing on a stacked Kentucky team that featured future NBA stars such as Jamal Murray, De’Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo, Malik Monk, and Skal Labissiere, Mulder struggled to crack the rotation.
In his first season with the Wildcats, Mulder averaged just 3.8 minutes per game playing almost exclusively in garbage time. His senior year would prove slightly more fruitful as he was able to crack the rotation, but he certainly wasn’t up for any national awards.
Mulder averaged 10.6 minutes per game in 32 contests shooting 36.5 percent from three-point range while averaging just 4.7 points per game.
So yeah, when it came time for the 2017 NBA Draft, it wasn’t much of a surprise that he went undrafted.
However, the former junior college star turned Kentucky role player was able to scratch and claw his way through the ranks of the G-League. And as of Wednesday, February 26th, 2020, he’s officially been listed on his first NBA active roster.
The Warriors signed Mulder to a 10-day contract as their revolving door of a rotation continues to change. Mulder’s contract comes a few days after the team signed former top draft pick Dragan Bender to the same type of deal.
Evidently, the Warriors are looking for a possible diamond in the rough as their season winds down. Mulder might not be that guy, but his journey to this point has been nothing short of miraculous.
Mychal Mulder was never supposed to be an NBA player.
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After excelling as a three-sport athlete in his hometown of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Mulder attended junior college in Indiana. And while he eventually made it to a big-time program in Kentucky, he never was much more than a part-time role player.
That should have been the end of his NBA hopes right there. But instead, he grinded for three seasons in the G-League and has earned the right to call himself an NBA player.
In 34 games with the Sioux Falls Skyforce this season down in the G-League, Mulder is averaging 17.0 points in 33.2 minutes per game. On top of that, he’s shooting 40 percent from three-point range and over 60 percent from inside the arc.
This is a side of Mulder that Kentucky fans never got to see. And it’s a side of Mulder that the Warriors may soon see glimpses of.
A 6-foot-3, Mulder is an athletic guard with bounce and ample athleticism. He has developed a pretty good looking jumper and has no problem driving to the hoop when the time is right.
Of course, he’s still extremely raw and lacks NBA experience. But given the Warriors’ paper-thin depth chart, expect him to see some bench minutes during his initial trial run. If he could impress, perhaps he could convince the Warriors to give him a more permanent role.
Either way, this is the culmination of a long, unlikely journey to the NBA.
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And knowing his work ethic, Mychal Mulder is just getting started.