G League Showcase Primer

Games to watch, two-way contracts, and more.

We’re less than 24 hours away from the tip-off of the G League Showcase. This year, 26 games will take place at Mississauga, ON and for the first-time ever with two arenas running concurrently.

Instead of five days, the event will take place in just four days. Here are some thoughts on this year’s event.

Games To Watch:

Jan. 10 — Westchester Knicks (18–9) @ Rio Grande Valley Vipers (17–9) It’s not every Showcase you have a pair of teams with the two best records in the G League meet under the same roof. This is the case with the Vipers taking on the Knicks, though Westchester may be without a bit of firepower in their arsenal.

Per Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports, the New York club is holding Trey Burke of Westchester out of the Showcase while they negotiate a deal to bring him onto the main roster. That certainly tempers a bit of the expectations, especially since Burke is averaging over 26 points per game.

It’s really a gift and a curse for a team. Burke won’t be available, but it gives other players a chance to shine in front of NBA scouts, namely Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who has been an interesting prospect to watch. I think he’s close and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a team snag him on a two-way before the Jan. 15 deadline, but he has to improve his free-throw shooting, which is hovering just above 50% on the season. He’s a slasher that can finish strong at the hoop. At just 23 years old, he’d be worth taking a flyer on.

For the Vipers, there’s talent, talent, and even more talent on their side. RJ Hunter, Tony Wroten, and Cleanthony Early just to name a few of the NBA veterans on their roster.

Keep an eye on Chris Walker, however. He’s lost in the shuffle with the talent this team has as well as the Rockets and Nuggets assigned players. In his third season, the 6–9 forward has really made strides beyond what the box score says. Averaging just 10 points a game, the Vipers are 7–0 when Walker scores at least 14 points this season.

Jan. 11 — Raptors 905 (14–10) @ Santa Cruz Warriors (15–10) Another pair of teams playing excellent basketball. The 905 are winners of nine consecutive games (and 10 of their last 11) heading into the Showcase. 905 head coach Jerry Stackhouse has his team playing the way he wants with defense as a priority. The 905 own the second-best defensive rating in the league (98.9) and eighth in net rating (2.7). They also take care of the glass with the best rebounding percentage in the league (53.2).

Kennedy Meeks has shined his rookie campaign, averaging nearly a double-double (11.8 points, 9.2 rebounds) in just 28 minutes per contest. He needs to continue to develop under Stackhouse but he should be another one considered for a two-way contract should teams be interested in securing his services before the deadline.

How close is Bruno Caboclo at this point? He’s shooting 32.5% from 3-point range on seven attempts per game and shooting just 40% from the field this season.

Santa Cruz is also playing top-notch basketball heading into the Showcase. They are 5–2 over their last seven games, and 4–1 on their current road trip before heading north.

Quinn Cook rules everything around Surf City. The Warriors are 13–3 with the Duke product in the lineup and he has solidified himself as the top two-way player in the G League this season. No player in league history have ever had a 50/40/90 season and Cook is on pace to do just that.

Meanwhile, five-year NBA veteran is gunning for a return to the Association as well, having recently joined the Santa Cruz Warriors after a brief stint in China. He is shooting over 55% from the field and averaging 19 points per game and almost 10 boards as well. Jones could stand to give his 3-point shooting an improvement, however, as it hover at just around 30%. No doubt scouts will be keeping a close eye on Jones as he is determined to show them he is still a quality NBA player.

Jan. 12 — Grand Rapids Drive (13–13) @ Iowa Wolves (12–10) Iowa has been locked in as of late, having won 10 of their last 12 games after struggling early on in the season. But it wasn’t entirely their fault.

The team was missing Elijah Millsap and Amile Jefferson due to playing for USA Basketball in FIBA qualifying. Needless to say the team struggled without the duo, but have since gotten back on track.

Why is this matchup interesting for me? I’m intrigued to see how Jefferson will compete against Grand Rapids’ Landry Nnoko, who has been raising his stock during the G League season.

Jefferson is averaging a double-double this season (17.6 points on 63% FG, 13 rebounds) while Nnoko is doing the same for the Drive (15.5 points on 56.7% FG, 10.7 rebounds). The big man battle will be one to watch at the Showcase as scouts will watch both of them compete against one another.

I’d give the edge to Jefferson on the surface as he has better hands and finesse around the rim, but don’t count out Nnoko. I don’t know if I see a two-way contract in his near future (he’d probably be closer if he was playing in the league seven or eight years ago). But should he continue to develop with his current trajectory he should be looking at an offer sooner rather than later.

Jan. 13 — Memphis Hustle (10–16) @ Maine Red Claws (12–11) With a shortened schedule on the final day, the Memphis Hustle are a team that has constantly intrigued me this season. They’ve fared well all things considered as an expansion team. The Showcase could be a good opportunity to turn a corner for this team and put it all together.

Omari Johnson will be battling against his former team which creates an interesting storyline for those who cover the league regularly. Johnson, is averaging just 13.7 points per game on 26.5 minutes per contest but is shooting nearly 40% from 3-point range (on 5.7 attempts per game). Not bad for a 6–9 forward as he looks to stretch the floor for his team.

Johnson is another one with tremendous upside that I’ve always thought had the potential to be an NBA player and would be a good candidate for a two-way deal should a team want to spend time developing him exclusively for their system. I’m not saying he could be an NBA player overnight, but I think he has the tools and ability to get there and perhaps a two-way deal could put him over the top.

When it comes to two-way deals, it might not always be about the best player (in some cases of course it is), but the player a team may be interested in developing for the future and that’s the value of the two-way contracts as teams also look towards the future.

On the Maine side, Jabari Bird has been playing incredible basketball for the Red Claws. He’s averaging over 21 points per game with 6.1 rebounds to boot. He’s also shooting over 50% from the field in 18 games with Maine.

The 3-point percentage (33.3) as well as his dealings from the charity stripe (59.7) show some room for improvement, but he’s definitely been given the room to do just that this season.

LJ Peak is also another interesting name for NBA teams,

Back To Backs At The Showcase?

The NBA has made an effort over the past few seasons to reduce the number of back-to-backs played by teams each season. The G League has followed suit by reducing back-to-backs as well.

With such a concern on player rest, it’s puzzling to me why the league would schedule back-to-backs at the Showcase, when players are competing in front of NBA and international scouts on the largest stage for most of their professional careers thus far.

Four teams will play back-to-backs at the event (Santa Cruz, Windy City, Oklahoma City, and Long Island).

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen back-to-backs at the Showcase, and it likely won’t be the last. What’s different from this year, however, is the league now has two courts at their disposal instead of just one, making scheduling that much easier.

I’ve heard from teams on both ends of the spectrum, however. On one hand, playing the back-to-back is quick and they are done with the Showcase that much sooner and can head home. Others contend it doesn’t make sense to put teams in a back-to-back situation when it appears at least on the surface, that it can be avoided.

It’s certainly not easy to make the Showcase schedule and accommodate different teams needs heading into the event. Perhaps it’s not logistically possible for 26 teams to arrive on such short notice and begin play.

Two-Way Contract Status

The Showcase is a final opportunity to see potential two-way players compete. The deadline to sign a player to a two-way contract is Jan. 15, shortly after the conclusion of the Showcase.

Currently, there are seven teams with a roster opening for a two-way contract (Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Atlanta Hawks).

A reminder, though there is a deadline to sign a two-way player, those existing deals do not become guaranteed after the 15th. They are still non-guaranteed deals for the season based on days of service in the NBA.

Secondly, it might seem odd that teams are leaving a roster spot open for two-way contracts. But let’s remember that two-way contracts are also trade assets in a pending deal.

With the trade deadline looming ahead (Feb. 8), it’s possible teams want to provide themselves enough flexibility to take on an existing two-way contract should a move be necessary.

If a team does trade for a two-way deal, the days of service do not reset for the new team, they would remain on the deal. So, if a team is interested in a player they would need a two-way spot in order to take the contract if they wanted to convert the contract to a standard NBA deal.

Players To Watch

Tomorrow before the Showcase I’ll be posting an updated rankings of some of the top players to watch from each team as well as players whose stock is improving leading into the event as well.

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