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:

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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Roc Nation signed Texas Tech guard …

Roc Nation signed Texas Tech guard Jahmi’us Ramsey, who is ranked No. 24: Washington power forward/center Isaiah Stewart, who is ranked No. 26; and Kentucky guard Immanuel Quickley, who is ranked No. 35 by nbadraft.net. Additionally, Roc Nation signed Temple forward Quinton Rose, American University guard Sa’eed Nelson and Indiana guard Devonte Green, brother of Los Angeles Lakers guard/forward Danny Green. Agents Brothers, Drew Gross and Sam Permut are representing the players.