/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48533397/usa-today-7817681.0.jpg)
Raphiael Putney barley fills out an a-shirt. At 6' 10" and 185 pounds his physique evokes every nickname bestowed on Kevin Durant... Iceberg Slim, Durantula, the Slim Reaper.
Today in Santa Cruz, California, Putney will attempt to repeat his career day from Thursday night. He hung 38 points and 18 rebounds on the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in front of over 100 NBA scouts and personnel on a career day. If Putney repeats the NBA could be in his immediate future.
Putney has two things going for him. First he is not tied to the Houston Rockets. He's only signed to the Vipers, so any NBA team can ink him to a contract. Second, on January 5th 10-day NBA contracts came online. Any team can fill a void and hired a short-term scorer by giving Putney a contract.
On the season Putney is leading the Vipers in points and rebounds at 20.6 points a game and 10.1 rebounds while shooting 48.5% from the field and 39.9% from three.
It's an unexpected development for the 25-year-old who is from West Virginia and went undrafted out of the University of Massachussetts after an uninspiring college career that ended in 2014. Putney spent part of last year with the Vipers where he averaged just 6 points per game in under 10 minutes a contest through nine games.
Should I mention the NBA scouts and personnel again? Yea. Probably. Putney will be playing in front of over 100 NBA scouts and front office types.
Vipers forward Raphiael Putney warming up his three point stroke in Santa Cruz
Today's Rio Grande Valley Vipers game is available on YouTube.