Tag: Freddie Gillespie

Rockets reportedly hoping to use two-way contract slot on backup center

Moses Brown, Freddie Gillespie, Bruno Fernando, and Mfiondu Kabengele are among potential backup center signings for the Rockets, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

The Houston Rockets would like to add center depth behind second-year starter Alperen Sengun, but they have a clear incentive to avoid longer-term salaries that could clog their salary cap flexibility in 2023.

Thus, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic, the Rockets are currently exploring big-man additions for 2022-23 via a two-way contract (for one season).

Iko names Moses Brown and Freddie Gillespie as potential candidates, along with the possibility of re-signing Bruno Fernando or calling up Mfiondu Kabengele from Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers. There is no clear timetable for such a move.

Internally, the Rockets do have veteran big man Boban Marjanović and second-year forward Usman Garuba as candidates to play beyond Sengun. But neither is proven as a consistent NBA rotation player, so it makes sense for Houston general manager Rafael Stone to explore outside additions, as well — particularly if they are cap friendly.

Time will tell on whether any of these potential deals materialize. Another plausible candidate could be 6-foot-9 big man Aric Holman, who continues to play well for Houston’s 2022 summer league team.

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Explaining the NBA’s hardship exception and the free agents who signed as replacement players

Explaining what hardship exceptions and replacement players mean as COVID-19 protocols hit the NBA.

As the omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to spread, the NBA has required a large share of “replacement players” to fill in for the players who are in health and safety protocols. And so far, more than 100 players have reportedly entered the league’s health and safety protocols so far this month, per ESPN’s Baxter Holmes.

But how exactly do the “replacement players” work?

Essentially, the NBA’s hardship exception allows teams to exceed the 15-man roster limit if more than three players on the roster are each going to miss extended time due to illness or injury. Typically, teams weren’t allowed to apply for the hardship exception before Jan. 5.

But starting last season, the league changed the policy to allow earlier exceptions. And as of earlier this week, effective Dec. 19 until Jan. 19, the NBA is allowing teams to sign one replacement player for each player on their roster who tests positive for COVID-19.

While there are some big names (e.g. Isaiah Thomas, Lance Stephenson, CJ Miles) who have signed as replacement players, there are lots of promising young NBA hopefuls who are hoping to use this opportunity as a chance to stick around the league.

Not all of the players below were signed through hardship exceptions and some transactions (e.g. DeMarcus Cousins and Wesley Matthews to the Milwaukee Bucks) may have happened anyway during a normal season.

But below, based on the NBA’s transaction log and reporting from the league’s top insiders, you can find a live tracker of all the players who have signed new deals with NBA teams over the course of the past month.

Freddie Gillespie singing, dancing to ‘Party in the USA’ is a must-watch

The outgoing Raptors rookie provided yet another wholesome moment on Friday morning, and it is totally worth watching.

With the week inching closer toward the weekend, the Toronto Raptors dropped a feel-good video on Friday morning that will surely have you feeling ready for the day.

The video involves Raptors players Malachi Flynn and Freddie Gillespie fulfilling their rookie karaoke duties following a recent practice. The scene is all-too-common as rookie players are often forced to perform in front of their teammates, and the Raptors’ duo wasn’t excluded.

Raptors veteran Kyle Lowry got the action started when he brought up Flynn and Gillespie and gave them a simple task: To sing “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus.

They seemed a bit shy at first, but Gillespie totally got into it and made his performance a must-watch for fans.

Gillespie, who was just signed to a second 10-day contract on April 18, might be the newest member of the Raptors but has already emerged as a favorite among fans.

During his first media availability over Zoom, he hilariously needed a few seconds to adjust to the camera. In another sequence, he needed to ask an off-camera member of Raptors PR if he could answer a question about the officiating without getting fined.

As for his on-court production, Gillespie is averaging 6.1 points, four rebounds and 1.4 blocks in seven appearances with the Raptors. He is coming off a four-point, five-rebound and five-block performance on Wednesday in a win over the Brooklyn Nets.

While it remains to be seen if Gillespie will stay with the Raptors beyond his final 10-day contract, the 23-year-old will be remembered for his entertaining moves on and off the court…

Happy Friday, everyone!

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Raptors sign undrafted rookie Freddie Gillespie to 10-day contract

Gillespie averaged 10.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots in 15 games with the Memphis Hustle in the G League.

On Thursday, the Toronto Raptors announced that they signed rookie Freddie Gillespie to a 10-day contract after a successful stint in the NBA G League with the Memphis Hustle.

Gillespie, who went undrafted out of Baylor, averaged 10.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots in 15 games with the Hustle. He shot 57% from the field and registered six double-doubles, which ranked eighth among all players.

With the Raptors in action on Thursday, Gillespie did not play in the 122-113 loss to the Chicago Bulls but could be available on Saturday when the team faces the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road.

Gillespie will wear No. 55 with the Raptors.

The addition of Gillespie projects to give the Raptors some rebounding and defense. The team has dealt with several injuries as of late and the signing will add some depth to the bench in the immediate short team on his 10-day contract.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Notable undrafted free agents eligible for 2021 G League Draft

Among the eligible players for the upcoming 2021 NBA G League Draft are several of the notable undrafted players from the 2020 NBA draft.

The upcoming 2021 NBA G League season may give several players not selected in the recent NBA draft another opportunity in the pros.

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.

While teams may have the majority of their roster spots ready to go, they’ll supplement final spaces with the G League Draft. The event is scheduled for Monday, January 11, at 1:15 PM EST.

Some of the players with the most professional experience: Emeka Okafor, Mario Chalmers, Michael Beasley, Lance Stephenson, Hollis Thompson, Terrence Jones, Quincy Pondexter, Shabazz Muhammad, Tyler Ulis, Festus Ezeli, Allonzo Trier, Antonio Blakeney.

Also among the eligible players for the upcoming 2021 NBA G League Draft are several of the notable undrafted players from the 2020 NBA draft.

Some of the top prospects who did not hear their name called on draft night were signed on two-way deals, which allow the player to be active for 50 of the 72 games for their franchise. Many others were invited to training camps to compete for roster spots via Exhibit-10 contracts.

Typically, players with that type of deal end up playing for the G League affiliate of the squad that signed them. This year, however, eleven of the teams around the league are not sending their affiliate to the bubble:

Atlanta Hawks (College Park Skyhawks)

Boston Celtics (Maine Red Claws)

Chicago Bulls (Windy City Bulls)

Dallas Mavericks (Texas Legends)

Detroit Pistons (Grand Rapids Drive)

Los Angeles Lakers (South Bay Lakers)

Miami Heat (Sioux Falls Skyforce)

Milwaukee  Bucks(Wisconsin Herd)

Phoenix Suns (Northern Arizona Suns)

Sacramento Kings (Stockton Kings)

Washington Wizards (Capital City Go-Go; will utilize Erie)

That means, in addition to those who did not participate in an NBA training camp over the summer, any of the players who signed Exhibit-10 deals with these franchises are also sent into the draft pool for Monday.

While this draft will have three rounds, there will be a max of 26 players selected, though teams are not required to make a selection. All things considered, this is set to be an incredibly deep draft class on Monday.

Among the nearly 200 players who have NBA G League Standard Player Contracts but are not yet on a roster, here are some of the notable undrafted free agents who may have a chance to continue their professional journey:

2020 NBA Draft Big Board 5.0: Final update ranking Top 100 prospects

After numerous delays and postponements, front offices and draftniks have had more time to analyze the 2020 NBA draft than any previous year.

After numerous delays and postponements, front offices and draftniks have had more time to analyze the 2020 NBA draft than any previous year.

Originally scheduled for June, the ongoing pandemic pushed the big night back by five months. While this may cause some teams to overthink their decisions, it gave analysts plenty of time to study all of the top prospects eligible in this class.

This year, players had to participate in a mostly virtual pre-draft process. On the bright side, this meant that teams had the opportunity to interview more candidates than ever before.

However, the number of in-person visits were incredibly limited due to the restrictive parameters set by the league. Similarly, the NBA draft combine was conducted without the typical scrimmages where players can separate themselves from the others with impressive on-court performances.

Overall, the players that stood out in this pre-draft process had a different path to recognition than any other year. College basketball players did not have the opportunity to showcase themselves during March Madness. The nation’s top seniors did not get to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.

As such, executives will rely mostly on the existing game footage as well as the intel they gathered during their conversations with the prospects. We also depended on similar strategies, getting access to one-on-one interviews with more than three dozen prospects and exchanging our thoughts with various scouts across the league.

This helped us put together our final big board, looking at the Top 100 players ranked on their potential to make a difference for teams in the NBA.

Relevant statistics were pulled from Synergy Sports Tech, Bart-Torvik, KenPom, Open Look Analytics and RealGM. Note that the age listed for each player references how old they will be on the night of the draft.

Everything to know about NBA G League pre-draft evaluation process

Rookie Wire obtained every detail possible about the NBA G League pre-draft evaluation process, including all of the known invitations sent.

Rookie Wire obtained every detail possible about the NBA G League pre-draft evaluation process, including all of the known invitations sent.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many draft-eligible prospects not invited to the NBA combine have had trouble getting all of their information to team-decision makers in advance of the 2020 NBA Draft. To combat this, the NBA G League is offering a greater opportunity to be evaluated by team decision-makers.

This information included below was shared with USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire on the condition of anonymity because the person who shared the details was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

While the G League Elite Camp was canceled this year, a “select number” of participants were given the chance to share virtual evaluations through both shooting drills and an NBA pro day.

Prospects who agreed to participate will use HomeCourt, a mobile basketball training application, to record on-court workouts. The results will be shared with NBA team staffers through the app.

Players were encouraged to have two staffers with them in the gym to assist with the process. The coaches and trainers were required to wear a face mask and gloves during the workout.

NBA Evaluation: 8 Shooting Drills (based on previous editions of the Draft Combine)

  • Warm-Up/free-throws (50 shots)
  • Spot-Up shooting (50 shots)
  • Shooting off dribble/pull-up jumpers (30 shots)
  • Mid-Range/off the catch (20 shots)
  • 3-point drill /3-pointers off the catch (20 shots)
  • Side-mid-side/3-point jumpers on the move (2 minutes)
  • 3-point endurance/catch-and-shoot at game speed (5 minutes)
  • Cool down/free-throws (50 shots)

Each shooting drill can be completed a max of three times. Only the best score is uploaded into the NBA Player Evaluation platform for all NBA teams to access the data and video.

This is how the results look, as obtained by Babcock Hoops’ Derek Murray:

NBA Pro Day: 45-Minute Open Workout

  • This workout allows the draft prospect to share the unique
    aspects of his game through a 45-minute open workout.
  • Players are prohibited from partaking in live competition against any other draft-eligible and/or other players, including: informal scrimmages, pick-up games (e.g., 2-on-2), defensive drills (e.g., pick-and-roll coverage, post defense, etc.), offensive drills (e.g., Pick-and-Roll / Pop situations)
  • Pro Day must be a half-court workout.
  • Pro Day is an open workout for up to 45 minutes. If a player does NOT use the full 45 minutes, that is OK.
  • Must be completed on the same date as shooting drills. The player is allowed a 10-minute break in between.

KNOWN INVITATIONS

USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire was able to obtain a list of prospects invited to participate in this process. Note that others may have been included as well, though these were the names we can confirm at this time. 

Tres Tinkle, Oregon State

Malik Fitts, Saint Mary’s

Trevelin Queen, New Mexico State

Freddie Gillespie, Baylor

Jordan Ford, Saint Mary’s

Rayshaun Hammonds, Georgia

Jon Teske, Michigan

Emmitt Williams, LSU

Anthony Lamb, Vermont

Austin Wiley, Auburn

Isiaha Mike, SMU

Nate Darling, Delaware

Kamar Baldwin, Butler

Caleb Homesley, Liberty

Anthony Cowan, Maryland

Dwayne Sutton, Louisville

Steven Enoch, Louisville

Osasumwen Osaghae, Florida International

Kylor Kelley, Oregon State

John Mooney, Notre Dame

Xavier Sneed, Kansas State

EJ Montgomery, Kentucky

Quinton Rose, Temple

Jordan Bowden, Tennessee

Jake Toolson, BYU

Samir Doughty, Auburn

Terry Armstrong, South East Melbourne

Eli Pemberton, Hofstra

Kouat Noi, Cairns

Sacar Anim, Marquette

Jeff Dowtin, Rhode Island

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Ranking the top NCAA seniors in the country based on NBA draft stock

For the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft, seniors may have an advantage because they have the largest sample size of game film to show front offices.

For the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft, seniors may have an advantage because they have the largest sample size of game film to show front offices.

Most other years, prospects have opportunities to boost their draft stock in the NCAA Tournament or during team workouts and the NBA Combine. But with at least some and potentially even all of those scouting events canceled this year due to the coronavirus, upperclassmen are arguably more valuable than usual due to increased exposure.

With that in mind, we broke the top prospects who have elapsed their college basketball eligibility and as such are thus automatically eligible for the 2020 NBA Draft.

1. Cassius Winston, Michigan State

(Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)

Guard, 6-foot-1, 21 years old

During his four seasons at Michigan State, Cassius Winston averaged 13.0 assists per 100 possessions. Meanwhile, his career assist rate (43.1%) ranked as sixth-best among all NCAA players since 2009-10. While a bit undersized, he had always been incredibly productive in college and is arguably the most NBA-ready of the seniors who will be in this draft class. Winston is already an incredibly capable finisher and distributor out of the pick-and-roll, which will help his game translate to the next level. He has also been productive as a shooter off the catch, off the dribble and off screens. In fact, he shot above 40.0 percent from 3-point range on each of those attempts. Winston became the second consensus All-American in Michigan State history, also earning All-American honors back-to-back seasons.

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