Reputations can begin in a lot of places, and a G League tryout is as good a place as any to form one.
It was there that the Lakers spotted David Nwaba, an undrafted player who attended three colleges. They swung a deal to get him added to their developmental team, and before they knew it, he was on the court with the NBA team.
That he didn't find continued success with the Lakers doesn't matter. That the team unearthed a player who has now appeared in 237 NBA games — starting 50 of them — seemingly out of thin air, that's a skill that matters.