Tag: Festus Ezeli

Notable NBA veterans who are eligible for 2021 G League Draft

When the upcoming NBA G League season tips off next months, fans can expect to see more familiar faces than they would in a typical year.

When the upcoming NBA G League season tips off next months, fans can expect to see more familiar faces than they would in a typical year.

The NBA G League is hosting a bubble tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sport Complex in Florida. Once teams are assembled, they will arrive to the location by January 26 for physicals and onboarding. The first game is set for February 8 and teams are expected to play a “12-to-15 game schedule” before their single-elimination playoffs from March 5-March 9.

This offseason, per ESPN, the league also eliminated restrictions for signing players with at least five years of NBA experience. For example, as reported by Adam Johnson, this is how Jeremy Lin was able to sign outright with the Santa Cruz Warriors rather than enter the draft pool. This is reportedly a one-time exception for the G League.

Similarly, others with NBA experience signed outright as veteran mentors for the inaugural G League Ignite squad. Players like Amir Johnson and Bobby Brown will lend a hand for top prospects like Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Green as they transition to the pros.

Otherwise, however, players not already on a roster who are looking to get back on the court and play in the upcoming bubble season will have to hear their names called on Monday. Over the last few days, we have learned about several players (e.g. Michael Beasley and Lance Stephenson) who recently signed NBA G League Standard Player Contracts.

Even those who have been around the league for years have no guarantee of being selected, though. There are only 17 teams playing in the bubble, as 12 have opted out.

While the draft will have a maximum of 26 players selected, teams are allowed to forfeit their picks, so that number could end up even smaller. But that has not swayed the nearly 200 players who are hopeful about suiting up in Florida.

The 2021 G League Draft is scheduled for Monday, January 11, at 1:15 PM EST. Below are some of the most notable candidates, listed in order of how many minutes they have played in the NBA:

Draft History: Warriors select Vanderbilt’s Festus Ezeli with final pick in 2012 first round

Before the Warriors are on the clock in 2020, Warriors Wire is rewinding through Golden State’s draft history to highlight memorable picks.

Before the Golden State Warriors are on the clock with the No. 2 overall selection next month, Warriors Wire is rewinding through Golden State’s draft history to highlight some of the most memorable picks — trades, surprises, busts, sleepers and everything in between.

With two picks in the first round of the 2012 NBA draft, general manager Bob Myers eyed a pair of players the Golden State Warriors could build around their young backcourt tandem of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. 

Following North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes landing in the Bay Area with the No. 7 overall pick in the draft, Myers and Mark Jackson targeted a prospect that can slide alongside veteran center Andrew Bogut in Golden State’s frontcourt. 

June 28, 2012

To open the 2012 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Hornets and Charlotte Bobcats selected back-to-back Kentucky Wildcats with the first two picks. Anthony Davis went No. 1 to New Orleans with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist going to Charlotte at No. 2. 

After selecting Barnes with their top pick in the 2012 edition of the draft, the Warriors were back on the clock with the No. 30 overall pick courtesy of the San Antonio Spurs. 

With the final pick of the first round, the Warriors selected Vanderbilt’s Festus Ezeli. 

In his final two seasons in Kevin Stalling’s Vanderbilt program, the 6-foot-11 center averaged double-figures in scoring. As a senior, Ezeli averaged 10.1 points per game on 53.9% shooting from the field with 5.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. Along with the Commodores center, Jefferey Taylor and John Jenkins joined a group of three players to be selected in the 2012 draft from Vanderbilt.

Along with an SEC tournament championship in 2012, the trio featuring Ezeli, Taylor and Jenkins led the Commodores to three appearances in the NCAA tournament. 

Once he was drafted by Golden State, Ezeli’s rookie training wheels came off rather quickly. While Bogut dealt with injuries, the first-year center was thrust into the starting lineup. During his rookie season, Ezeli started a career-high 41 games while averaging 4.0 boards, 2.4 points, and 0.9 blocks per contest. 

In his sophomore year in the NBA, Ezeli sealed his spot as a member of the Golden State Warriors 2015 championship team. During Golden State’s postseason run to the Finals, Ezeli averaged 3.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per contest. 

Watch highlights from Ezeli’s 2015 season in Golden State via YouTube:

Following three seasons in Golden State, Ezeli signed with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2016. However, injuries hampered Ezeli’s career in the Pacific Northwest. After missing the entire season with a knee injury, Ezeli was waived by the Trail Blazers in 2017. 

Other notable members of the 2012 draft class include Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, Andre Drummond, John Henson, Evan Fournier, Draymond Green and Khris Middleton.

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A look back at Draymond Green’s triple-double in Game 6 of 2015 Finals

Draymond Green earned his first NBA Finals triple-double on June 16, 2015, the day the Warriors won the title.

When the Golden State Warriors needed to close out the series, Draymond Green displayed what has been his top form the past few seasons.

Green, one of the best utility players in the NBA, showcased his versatility on the league’s biggest stage June 16, 2015. It was Game 6 of the NBA Finals, and the Warriors were on the road playing the Cleveland Cavaliers. With a win, they’d secure the title for the first time since 1975.

Green helped lead the Warriors to the championship, as Golden State defeated Cleveland, 105-97. He had a career outing in the victory, earning his first Finals triple-double. Green scored 16 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished 10 assists.

As one of the best screen setters in the league, Green is surgical with his playmaking in the short pick-and-roll. Because Steph Curry draws so much attention, Green regularly has plenty of space to slip screens and potentially set up his teammates.

The first play of the video above is a perfect example of Green’s effective play in the short roll. As the Cavs sent J.R. Smith and Timofey Mozgov, Curry quickly passed the ball to Green, who then lobbed an alley oop to Festus Ezeli.

According to Stat Muse, Green has 10 career playoff triple-doubles. He has 24 career triple-doubles, which ranks seventh among active players, per Stat Muse.

With Green being a skilled offensive player, he holds great value within the Warriors’ motion-oriented offense. Even though Curry missed most of this season due to a broken left hand, and Klay Thompson was out due to an ACL injury, Green still ranked first on Golden State in passes per game (58.3), per NBA.com stats.

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