Tag: Samir Doughty

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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Auburn basketball: Why JT Thor is a perfect fit on the Plains

Auburn freshman JT Thor will be a force for the Tigers.

Auburn freshman forward JT Thor has the kind of growth mindset that fits perfectly in Bruce Pearl’s program. It’s a mentality that harks back to the 2017 and 2018 teams who found great success when they were dramatically underestimated.

The rising star discussed a few of his favorite things as well as his playing career, both past and present, with AuburnTigers.com’s Greg Ostendorf earlier this week.

Here’s a few quick facts:

  • Thor’s favorite movie is Scarface
  • He loves his mom’s cooking
  • He intends to major in Business Marketing
  • Thor models his game after Kevin Durant and says the 31-year old Nets forward was an inspiration to him growing up
  • Yes, his favorite Marvel character is Thor not just because they share the same name, but because they, “can both drop the hammer. That thunderous dunk.”

Another interesting fact is that he grew up in Alaska before eventually moving to Norcross, Georgia. He wants everyone to know that in Alaska it does not snow there every single day and that while the winters are brutal the summers are actually very sunny and warm.

So, how does a kid who was born in Nebraska and raised in Alaska end up at Auburn?

According to him it all started on February 8, 2020 when the four star recruit attended the LSU vs Auburn basketball game on his first unofficial visit.

“They (Auburn) were down by 20, and they came back and won the game. The whole time I was on the visit, it just opened my eyes. It wasn’t even an official visit yet. But as soon as I came here, it was like “I think I want to be here.” It made me want to come on another visit, so I came to the game vs. Texas A&M. They lost, but after that, I was ready to plan my official and commit. This is where I wanted to be. It’s a good environment, a family-type environment that I want to be in.”

Thor says he’s ready to grow as a player under Bruce Pearl’s leadership. He cites Chuma Okeke, Isaac Okoro, and Tobias Harris (Tennessee) as models for his own playing potential under Coach Pearl. The freshman is ready to make an impact on both sides of the court and believes the 2020 class is one of the best in the country.

After losing six starters this spring (5 seniors and 1 lottery pick) preseason talking heads aren’t giving Auburn much love going in to the 2020-2021 basketball season. It’s nothing new for Coach Pearl and Auburn. JT Thor just arrived on campus and he already knows,

“I feel like we’re all underdogs. Everybody is an underdog, and we’re coming in with a chip on our shoulder. People are sleeping on us.”

This team is young, but they’re worth watching out for.