For four straight college seasons, Tucker DeVries had one constant. Wherever he went, his father was the one drawing up the plays. Drake. West Virginia. Indiana. The same system, the same voice in the huddle, the same guy with the final say on minutes.

That streak is over. This fall, Tucker DeVries walks into an NBA training camp where nobody owes him anything.

The Kid Who Could Always Score

Before Bloomington, DeVries was a problem for everyone in the Missouri Valley. At Drake he won the league's freshman of the year award, then its player of the year award two seasons in a row. Across his career, his teams went 36-5 in games where he scored 20 or more. Then came the detour. At West Virginia, an injury held him to only eight games. When Darian took the Indiana job, Tucker followed one more time. Critics called it a package deal. He had one season to prove it wasn't. A Season of Highs, a Slump, and a Collapse

It started like a statement. He was named Player of the Week after his opening week, and through 11 games he was putting up 17 a night on nearly 38% from three. 

Then the Big Ten hit back. By January the shot had disappeared. At Michigan State, he hit his first three and then missed his next six, one of them an airball the Izzone made sure he heard about. His own father, and coach, admitted it was the longest shooting drought Tucker had ever been through.

He fought out of it. In Piscataway, he dropped 20-plus in an 82-59 win over Rutgers, and the bench reaction said everything. But the team couldn't hold it together. Indiana finished 18-14 and 9-11 in the Big Ten, and a late fade cost the Hoosiers an NCAA Tournament bid. 

The final numbers were solid, not spectacular: 13.7 points, a team-high 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists, on just 33.3% from deep. Through the ups and downs, Darian said his son kept choosing to "push forward, lead, and do things the right way". That's a coach's praise. It's also a father's. 

Undrafted, and on the Clock

Draft night came and went without his name. Boston signed him to an Exhibit 10 deal instead, and he wasted no time in Vegas, averaging 11 points and hitting 40% of his threes over two Summer League games. 

The stakes are simple. That contract isn't guaranteed and can be flipped into a two-way deal before the season starts. If Boston cuts him, the likely landing spot is the Maine Celtics in Portland, with a bonus of up to $91K if he logs 60 days there.

He doesn't make the opening night 15. Boston is a contender, and contenders don't hand roster spots to undrafted rookies with streaky jumpers. But DeVries has exactly the tools the Celtics love: 6'7", a willing shooter, a smart passer who already knows how to play inside a system.

Our call: he earns a two-way deal or a strong stint in Maine, and by spring he's the kind of name Boston fans are asking about.

For the first time in his life, the minutes won't come from Dad. If he's going to stick, the jumper has to do the talking.