NBA G League Players Who Should Be Considered For Two-Way Contracts Next Season

With the 2017–18 season come and gone, there are many prospects weighing their options for next season. It’s a complicated decision, do you head overseas for a more lucrative financial offer, or do you double-down on your success from the prior season and bet on yourself to earn an NBA deal. Here are some players who should be considered for a two-way deal next season when teams are able to offer them once more in free agency.

Here are several players who couldn’t crack the NBA ceiling this past season but should be considered for a deal next year.

Brandon Ashley — Texas Legends, 6'9, F

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It’s no secret that I’ve been on the Brandon Ashley bandwagon since his rookie season with the Texas Legends in 2015. He’s long, athletic, and has tremendous upside at just 23 years old.

In 45 games with the Legends last season under head coach Bob MacKinnon, Ashley averaged over 16 points per game to go with 6.3 rebounds. He is able to fill in space quickly and not afraid to defend the perimeter as well, giving him multiple opportunities to play on the defensive end.

What does Ashley need to work on? A commitment do effective defense. Ashley averaged the second-most fouls per game (3.8) among qualifying players (minimum 25 games). He has the wingspan to contend at the perimeter and play defense. It also should be noted Ashley played in one of the more uptempo offenses last season with the Legends under MacKinnon, giving him perhaps more opportunities to earn a foul call.

Devin Williams — Maine Red Claws, 6'9, F

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The big man out of West Virginia exceeded thoroughly in the post this past season, and for a moment there it looked like he was adding a three-point shot to his basketball repertoire (which would have increased his value exponentially), but overall it needs to be worked on and addressed further.

Williams is perhaps a generation short of being an NBA player, perhaps even a decade apart from when a player his type would be used. Still, if he can develop a game in space and play at the wing position as opposed to explicitly the block, then he should garner interest from teams. Just the potential upside alone is what should intrigue teams after last season with the Red Claws where he averaged a double-double on the season (11.8 points, 10.8 rebounds). Williams also suited up for Team USA this past winter when they took on Cuba and Puerto Rico in FIBA qualifying games in Santa Cruz under Jeff Van Gundy.

Raphiael Putney — Erie BayHawks, 6'10, G/F

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Ask Erie BayHawks General Manager Malik Rose about Putney and he will sing his praises. Putney recently participated in the NBA G League Elite Mini Camp, where he posted the second-highest vertical (38 inches) and also measured a wingspan of 7-foot-3.

The knock on Putney is he’s 28 years old, which in any other walk of life would still be considered young and viable, but when it comes to professional sports in general, younger players are coveted more than others. When it comes to talent and potential, scouts have seemingly seen enough of Putney and will draw their conclusions from previous years under the G League banner.

In some cases, however, age ain’t nothing but a number. Take a look at Andre Ingram as the Lakers gave him an opportunity to shine at the end of the regular season with a call-up, fulfilling a lifelong dream of donning an NBA uniform.

Putney prefers to play in space, but needs to improve his outside shooting where he only shot 33.8% from three-point range last season for the BayHawks.

Putney also has a relatively thinner frame than most conventional players. At the mini camp he weighed in at just 178.8 pounds. For someone his size he should have a bit more size to him, but he might sacrifice some of his agility if he were to increase his muscle mass.

James Blackmon Jr — Wisconsin Herd, 6'4, G

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Blackmon took over much of the offensive responsibilities once James Young was scooped up on a two-way contract by the Philadelphia 76ers. While he shot just over 45% from the field during the regular season it’s his numbers late in the season which should hopefully carry over into next year.

For the last two months of the season, Blackmon put up a 50/40/90 split over 18 games with the Wisconsin Herd. From November-to-January, the Indiana alum was scoring just 12 points per game on 41% from the field. Fast forward and he shot just above 50% from the floor including 44.2% from long-range.

What’s coincidental about Blackmon’s resurgence? He was traded from the Delaware 87ers (Philly’s G League affiliate) to Wisconsin a week prior to his numbers skyrocketing. It seems like a change of scenery did wonders for Blackmon and it will be interesting to see if his numbers continue to trend upward should he choose to return to the Herd next season.

Winston Shepard — Santa Cruz Warriors, 6'8, G/F

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The San Diego State alum appeared in just 19 games for the Santa Cruz Warriors last season after battling a hamstring injury late in the year. But don’t be fooled by his pedestrian numbers (9.5 points, six rebounds), Shepard showed flashes last season when he was healthy and adjusting to his new team.

As the NBA continues to evolve towards positionless basketball (some would argue it’s already there), Shepard provides size and strength from the perimeter to dominate smaller guards when given the opportunity to work in space.

The outside shooting certainly needs to improve to raise his NBA stock (33.3% per game on 1.1 attempts), but he has the ability to take over a game at a moment’s notice and would be an intriguing prospect for teams to give a second look to should he choose to return to the G League next season and explore his options.