A few example but sounds like the G League odds are pretty long to getting an established NBA job.
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It is definitely long odds. I just don’t know if it’s longer odds than other paths the same player might take.
47% of nba players have g-league experience. If you’re a fringe player, like Reece, it’s a good way to work your way into becoming established.
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I was about to say that, it’s a long shot.
Reading Wood’s story reminds me of when I was making my way as a rugby player. Never good enough to get a full contract in the big time, so you bounce from team to team contract to contract scraping to find a way and move up one season one game at a time. It’s real, it can be fun, but it’s also a grind. You can’t go at it half in and honestly it’s a single man’s game because there’s little stability. Not an old man’s game.
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Loved this tweet too…
https://twitter.com/clubtrillion/status/1310402857850425344?s=20
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Ironically Duncan, also fits the discussion we were having on the NBA page about the Heat’s missteps.
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Hahaa. Sorry Ringer, Duncan gone
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The 2 way contract salary is set at half the rookie minimum. In 22-23, 2 way players made $508,891 for the full season.
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It does get pro-rated, so if a team waives you (or signs you) part-way through the season, you won’t get the full 500k.
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I wouldn’t look at the Gleague as a mining ground for breakout stars, its a place to find pieces. All those guys serve a role and serve it well and honed their craft in the G
My cynical side says that the G-League is a place for NBA teams to stash dudes that they might want for a rainy day without having to pay them an NBA salary. I get that roster spots are limited and all of that.
Off top of my head Gary Payton Jr (III?) Juan Toscano-Anderson are more recent examples. Danny Green had a good run in the DLeague as it was. I think Siakam spent some time there too.
Ha! Is Danny Green considered recent? Dude’s about my age! In any case, it looks like he did have a little 2 year run in the G-League. Gary Payton and Juan Toscano-Anderson played like 10 and 2 games in the G-League, respectively. I would say that they were always going to make it in the NBA and just happened to do a short detour in the minors.
Duncan Robinson might be #1 on the pure G-league success stories. He went from undrafted to 2-way to a 5 year $90 mil contract.
Another way to look at it is that the NBA draft process failed to properly evaluate some of these guys, and they were able to demonstrate that in the G-League. From the few examples mentioned it seems questionable whether the G-League added anything to their game or not. But I guess that’s the attraction of the G-League - it’s an additional venue to showcase your abilities.
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It provides a league for guys to keep playing and get better and be a bit more connected to the NBA than anything that previously existed. I guess I basically wouldn’t discount it as “an additional venue to showcase your abilities” because that’s sort of true of every level of hoops.
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Gobert, Saiskim, Clarkson, Middleton, Looney, PJ Tucker, it’s been a boon for players.
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That’s sort of my point, the G-League is really long odds and probably isn’t going anywhere. So for fringe players like Reece who still have eligibility and still have room to improve at the collegiate level - is the G-League really that attractive?
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Sure. Because even though its a long shot, its very likely their best chance to make it into the NBA. As long as that’s the overwhelming goal, the G-league makes sense.
Edit - Having a 5-10% chance of making the NBA from the G-League sounds bad until you consider that all the other pro leagues are probably 2-4% and college hoops is probably around 1%. Its bad, but still easily the best option.
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I think that’s just it. For most guys who go into the Gleague it’s because it’s their next best option. They have either run out of eligibility like a Jay Huff and need to go someone to play high level ball while remaining stateside. For a fringe guy like Reece it can make sense to leave early because he may get feedback that the NBA wants to see him improve his handles for iso pull ups and his pick n roll offense. Well staying at UVa isn’t going to help him improve that and rather than transfer and start all over he can just start working and do it.
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he may get feedback that the NBA wants to see him improve his handles for iso pull ups and his pick n roll offense. Well staying at UVa isn’t going to help him improve that and rather than transfer and start all over he can just start working and do it.
Ah, this is a really good point - I was thinking of more generic draft feedback like improved 3pt shooting so defenders don’t sag off you or improved finishing at the rim/through contact.
Does anyone have any idea if guys get feedback about performing within a specific offensive set vs. more generic individual skills?
Yes they do interms of individual skill ans performance factors. They will get a list lf things
People forget that TMIII was G-Leaguing last year. Different context than what is being discussed here but I forgot until the other day.
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Are we talking about guys who have to sign direct G League contracts or guys who spend a season in the G League while on deals with NBA teams? Odds of the former making the league are slim. Odds of the latter are pretty good. Like someone stated above, about 50% of NBA players play in the G League these days. It’s becoming more and more legitimate as a minor league
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