Tag: Isaiah Todd

Isaiah Todd, a projected lottery pick …

Isaiah Todd, a projected lottery pick in the 2021 draft, told The Athletic that he has signed a contract in the NBA G League, joining fellow five-star player Jalen Green as the first two top high school prospects to turn pro in the developmental league. “I believe it was the best thing for my game and for my career to better myself for the NBA,” Todd told The Athletic. “It was very important to be prepared because the NBA is my lifelong dream. This option is the best way to go, being in the NBA’s backyard and to learn from pros and learn from NBA coaches and trainers. It’s about being prepared for the NBA. I think that’s the best way to go.

Could Todd and Green become pioneers in …

Could Todd and Green become pioneers in this prep-to-G League move? “I think this will be trendsetting and we changed the game as far as new options and new ways for players who want to be in the NBA and reach their dreams,” Todd said. “I really believe that this is the best way to get to that.” Todd said he has spoken to Green and the two are excited to team up. “We’re both excited to get to work,” he said. “We can’t wait to get started and can’t wait to get better. We both want to be prepared for the NBA. We’re excited and truly blessed. “Players can look at us and use this as an alternative route if the opportunity presents (itself). Even motivation for them. It all depends on who you are. It all varies based on the player.”

Isaiah Todd to bypass college and join Jalen Green in the NBA G League

The two former high school prospects will help lead a new, reshaped professional pathway program in the NBA G League next season.

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Five-star prospect Isaiah Todd has signed a contract to enter into the reshaped professional pathway program and play in the NBA G League next season, the league announced on Friday.

Todd recently de-committed from the University of Michigan to join fellow high school prospect Jalen Green to play in the G League on a newly created development team that will be separate from the 29 other teams in the G League.

The program will pay Todd and Green upward of $500,000.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver and G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim worked together to develop a revamped system over the past year to persuade the top prospects a viable option to play professional basketball in the United States.

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Talks intensified to create a new program once the likes of LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton spurned college basketball and the G League for more lucrative offers in the National Basketball League in Australia. Under the structure of the new program, prospects will be placed on a team filled with veteran players and experienced coaches to provide mentorship.

The group of prospects will participate in training and exhibition games against other G League teams and international clubs. The team will play around 10-12 games against existing G League teams in games that won’t count against the standings.

Details of the new team Todd and Green will play for, which will be unaffiliated with any existing NBA G League franchise or NBA team, are forthcoming.

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Five-star players skipping college basketball helps Wisconsin in the short-term, but what does it mean for college basketball in the long run?

How the recent news about Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd going to the NBA G-League changes the landscape of college basketball

Recently, I wrote about the Wisconsin basketball identity that does not involve one-and-done, five-star players.  The identity of the Badgers is about players who stay, build, and grow with each other as college basketball players. We will hopefully see the positive results of that process play out this season, a year where the Badgers will have serious pre-season hype.

Over the past decade, most high-profile programs have operated differently than UW. There has been the need to adapt within the one-and-done era. The past few days have altered that era forever. This morning, one of the top prospects in college basketball Jalen Green announced his decision to play for the brand new NBA G-League select team according to ESPN. Green is a likely top-3 pick in next year’s NBA draft, and chose the new G-League option over the likes of Memphis and Auburn.

The NBA felt that they needed to compete with the NBL, a league in Australia that has seen top 2020 prospects Lamelo Ball and RJ Hampton choose them over the NCAA or other pro alternatives. This select team was their way of competing. Former NBA player and current NBA G-League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim confirmed that to ESPN in a piece earlier today.  “The NBA is the best development system in the world, and those players shouldn’t have to go somewhere else to develop for a year,” he said to ESPN.

The brand new NBA G-League select team that Green will be a part of is not exactly just another G-League team. The NBA G-League has long been the development league of the NBA, similar to other development leagues around pro sports. This select team would look very different than your average NBA farm squad. While we do not have every detail just yet, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Adrian Wojnarowski provided early details today via Twitter.

Essentially, the NBA wants to be the best development option for young players that also pays them a competitive salary in comparison to the rest of the world. There has already been a shockwave sent through the Big Ten because of this new initiative. Two days ago,  2020 Michigan commit and five-star recruit Isaiah Todd told Sports Illustrated that he was hiring an agent and turning pro. Today, we learned where he would be playing pro.

From a Wisconsin perspective this is a short-term win. Other Big Ten teams and perennial powerhouses around the country lose out on five-star talent that the Badgers would not have likely gone after/landed in the first place. Despite that, this is a scary proposition for the NCAA as a whole in the long-term. Sure, an NBA G-League select team can never have March Madness, thousands of fans screaming at Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke, or the type of love that comes with playing for your dream school. With that being said, $500,000 and training from actual NBA personnel with consistent, guaranteed looks from NBA teams is hard to pass up. The reality of the situation is that these players have the goal of signing massive NBA contracts, and they should absolutely be encouraged to take the path that best gets them there. Playing overseas in a professional league against grown men in the NBL is a different level of threat to the NCAA than playing with NBA personnel in an environment catered to their growth. Oh, and the half a million dollars does not hurt either.

Yes, this helps the Badgers in the short-term, but the NBA G-League select team should rattle the NCAA to its core. The changes that the NBA is making will push the NCAA in directions that could include serious discussions of player payment. Todd and Green are not unicorns in this situation. They are going to be the new norm for a handful of top college basketball players. The one thing that we know for sure is that if the NBA G-League select team succeeds, which all signs point to, then the NCAA will be forced to make major structural change. The events of this past week could be the catalyst that changes college basketball forever.

Get to know top NBA prospects who may join new G League Select Team

The NBA G League is launching a brand new team for top prospects who would prefer to forego the traditional route of college basketball.

The NBA G League is launching a brand new team for top prospects who would prefer to forego the traditional route of college basketball.

Prolific Prep’s Jalen Green was the first player to commit to the program, which exists in many ways to convince players to be in their pipeline rather than go overseas in Australia and play in the NBL like LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton did in 2019-20.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony, former NBA Coach of the Year Sam Mitchell is “expected to be considered” as an option to lead the team.

We have provided brief profiles on Green, who will headline the show in Southern California, as well as several other prospects who could join him.

Jalen Green, Guard

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

6-foot-5, 17 years old, Prolific Prep (California)

Jalen Green is an incredibly explosive athlete who also has improved as a shooter over the past few years. The scorer has become a more consistent and reliable option, offering an attacking mentality that will develop further as competition continues. One of Green’s crowning achievements thus far: He took home tournament MVP during the U17 World Cup in 2018, leading the United States to the gold medal behind 15.7 points per game. He also averaged 7.7 threes per 40 minutes, showing he is a fearless shooter. His natural stroke from the free-throw line shows that his 3-point percentage will likely increase within time, too.

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