Rio Grande Valley Vipers credit Daryl Morey for G League affiliations

Morey helped pioneer the affiliation model between NBA teams and the G League, which has boosted the development of prospects and systems.

Over 14 seasons in Houston, outgoing Rockets GM Daryl Morey is extremely respected for his accomplishments at the NBA level.

While the Rockets didn’t win an NBA title with Morey as GM, they were a clear success story by almost any measure. They ranked No. 2 in the league in overall wins, and they currently have the NBA’s longest streak at eight consecutive playoff berths. They never had a losing season.

But Morey’s creative brilliance has had implications well beyond the Rockets, and even the NBA. For instance, in his early years as GM, Morey was part of a group that pioneered the idea of hybrid affiliations between NBA G League franchises (then D League) and parent NBA teams.

In a setup reminiscent of minor league “farm teams” for Major League Baseball, the arrangement now allows NBA teams with affiliate partners to better control the environment in which their young prospects develop. In Morey’s case, it also allowed him to test some of his analytics-driven principles on the court before fully deploying them in the NBA.

This weekend, following the news of Morey’s planned departure from the Houston organization, the team’s G League affiliate in South Texas (the Rio Grande Valley Vipers) composed a note of appreciation.

Here’s how it reads:

Prior to the 2009-10 season, Daryl Morey was part of a groul that pioneered the idea of hybrid affiliation in the NBA D-League. That idea launched the Vipers toward their first of three championships in 2010, followed by trophies in 2013 and 2019. Daryl’s basketball operations leadership made the Vipers the winningest franchise in G League history.

Numerous players and coaches earned call-ups [to the NBA] in the systems that he guided. RGV was the lab for the layups and 3-pointers that led to the fast-paced Rockets offense that we watch today. Vipers fans won so many tacos and tamales that we had to adjust our partnerships.

Daryl, thank you for your contributions not just to our team, but to the Rio Grande Valley. We wish you the best in your next chapter.

In addition to the G League titles, marquee NBA players to have played in Rio Grande Valley during Morey’s tenure with the Rockets have included Clint Capela; Patrick Beverley; Montrezl Harrell; Marcus Morris; Aaron Brooks; Sam Dekker; Isaiah Hartenstein; and many more.

Meanwhile, coaches with the Vipers over that span have included 2020 NBA Coach of the Year and 2019 champion Nick Nurse (Toronto), as well as several highly regarded assistants such as Chris Finch (New Orleans), Matt Brase (Houston), and Joseph Blair (Minnesota).

As of last season, only two NBA teams (Portland, Denver) did not have an affiliation with a G League club. Morey’s push to use the G League for direct developmental purposes has clearly had a major impact.

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