2020/21 NBA G League Draft Results
The NBA G League held its draft for the 2020/21 season on Monday afternoon.
In a typical year, the G League draft lasts four rounds and teams are only required to make two selections. However, this year’s draft was just three rounds and teams weren’t required to make any picks.
Because only 17 of 28 NBA G League affiliates (plus the G League Ignite) are participating in the revamped season at Walt Disney World in Florida, and because teams aren’t permitted to bring extra players to training camp for health and safety reasons, roster spots will be at a premium in the NBAGL this season, and the draft reflected that. Only 25 players were selected.
With the first overall pick, the Greensboro Swarm – the Hornets‘ affiliate – nabbed former Wizard Admiral Schofield. The 42nd overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, Schofield averaged 3.0 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 33 games (11.2 MPG) as a rookie before being traded to the Thunder during the offseason. Oklahoma City waived him last month.
With the second overall pick, which they acquired in a trade earlier in the day, the Memphis Hustle selected former Baylor standout Freddie Gillespie, who had been in camp with the Mavericks. Gillespie recently spoke to JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors about his desire to make it to the NBA and his plans to begin his professional career in the G League. He’s now in position to suit up for the Grizzlies‘ affiliate.
Here are the full 2020/21 G League draft results:
Round One:
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Admiral Schofield (Tennessee)
- Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Freddie Gillespie (Baylor)
- Canton Charge (Cavaliers): Antonio Blakeney (LSU)
- Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Allonzo Trier (Arizona)
- Lakeland Magic (Magic): Tahjere McCall (Tennessee State)
- Canton Charge: Anthony Lamb (Vermont)
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Zavier Simpson (Michigan)
- Lakeland Magic: DJ Hogg (Texas A&M)
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Justin Patton (Creighton)
- Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Armoni Brooks (Houston)
- Raptors 905 (Raptors): Kevon Harris (Stephen F. Austin)
- Rio Grande Valley Vipers: Jarron Cumberland (Cincinnati)
- Oklahoma City Blue: Vince Edwards (Purdue)
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): Jonathan Kasibabu (Fairfield)
- Raptors 905: Gary Payton II (Oregon State)
- Memphis Hustle: Anthony Cowan Jr. (Maryland)
- Iowa Wolves: Dakarai Tucker (Utah)
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): No pick
- N/A
Round Two:
- Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): Jemerrio Jones (New Mexico State)
- Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): Oshae Brissett (Syracuse)
- Westchester Knicks: No pick
- Iowa Wolves: No pick
- Long Island Nets (Nets): No pick
- Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers): No pick
- Fort Wayne Mad Ants: Quincy McKnight (Seton Hall)
- Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers): No pick
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Selom Mawugbe (Azusa Pacific)
- Raptors 905: No pick
- Memphis Hustle: No pick
- Austin Spurs: Anthony Mathis (Oregon)
- Erie BayHawks (Pelicans): No pick
- Greensboro Swarm: No pick
- Austin Spurs: Kaleb Johnson (Georgetown)
- Santa Cruz Warriors: No pick
- Memphis Hustle: No pick
- Oklahoma City Blue: Rob Edwards (Arizona State)
- Salt Lake City Stars: No pick
Round Three:
- Greensboro Swarm: No pick
- Erie BayHawks: No pick
- Westchester Knicks: No pick
- Delaware Blue Coats: Braxton Key (Virginia)
- No picks from 43-57
The teams that didn’t make any picks will fill their rosters with affiliate players and returning rights players, meaning they didn’t need to draft anyone and/or didn’t have the open spots to do so.
As Jonathan Givony of ESPN and Blake Murphy of The Athletic noted (via Twitter), NBAGL teams overwhelmingly opted for youth, passing on most of the notable veteran NBA players in the draft pool. That group included Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers, Lance Stephenson, Emeka Okafor, and Shabazz Muhammad, among others.
Former Nets first-rounder Dzanan Musa removed his name from the draft pool before the event began, per Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).
Westbrook Expected To Miss At Least One Week With Quad Injury
Wizards point guard Russell Westbrook is expected to miss the next week due to a left quadriceps injury, the team announced today (Twitter link).
According to the Wizards, the injury is a result of repeated contact to the area since the start of the season. The former MVP will be re-evaluated at the end of the week, per the club.
While Westbrook has been posting his usual lofty averages in his first seven games as a Wizard (19.3 PPG, 11.3 APG, 9.7 RPG), he has lacked his usual explosiveness on drives to the basket and his shooting percentage so far is a career-worst 37.8%.
The Wizards have looked to manage Westbrook’s workload and health this season by resting him in back-to-back sets. However, in the games he has played, he’s seeing plenty of action — his 37.1 minutes per game would be a career high.
NBA Postpones Tuesday’s Celtics/Bulls Game
The NBA has postponed Tuesday’s game between the Celtics and Bulls due to the health and safety protocols, the league announced today. A source tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link) that Boston is short on the minimum number of players.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Grant Williams, Tristan Thompson, Robert Williams, Javonte Green, and Semi Ojeleye are all out due to the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols, while Kemba Walker and Romeo Langford are sidelined with injuries.
It’s the second postponement announced today – along with Monday’s Mavericks/Pelicans contest – and the NBA’s third in the last two days. The Celtics’ game against the Heat on Sunday was also postponed.
Despite a growing number of teams and games being impacted by the COVID-19 protocols, NBA spokesman Mike Bass told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN on Sunday that there are no plans to pause the season. Bass said the league had anticipated postponements and “planned the schedule accordingly.”
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently conveyed a similar sentiment to a group of team owners, executives, coaches, and NBPA leaders. Silver suggested that January would likely be the worst month for the league and the virus, but expressed optimism about things improving in February and beyond, especially once vaccinations are more widespread.
“They tell us it’ll be better later in the season, but I just hope this doesn’t break the league in the next few weeks,” one general manager told Wojnarowski.
In today’s press release, the NBA said that it will be meeting today with the NBPA to discuss the possibility of modifying the league’s health and safety protocols. The NBA also has a conference call lined up today with the league’s general managers to discuss these issues, sources tell Woj (Twitter link).
Kristaps Porzingis Set To Make Season Debut
[UPDATE: Monday’s Mavericks/Pelicans game has been postponed.]
Barring a last-minute setback, Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis is poised to make his season debut on Monday night against the Pelicans, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Porzingis, who underwent surgery in October to repair the meniscus in his right knee, spent the offseason recovering from and rehabbing that injury, but wasn’t quite ready to go when the regular season got underway last month.
The 25-year-old had been a full participant in practice for the last two weeks as he worked on getting back up to game speed, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Over the weekend, he was upgraded to questionable for Monday’s game.
Porzingis’ return should provide a shot in the arm to a Mavericks team that is missing multiple players due to the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols. After a slow start, Dallas has won its last three games to push its record above .500 (5-4).
Although he has battled health issues throughout his NBA career, Porzingis has been a standout contributor when he’s on the court. In his first full season in Dallas in 2019/20, he averaged 20.4 PPG, 9.5 RPG, and 2.0 BPG in 57 games (31.8 MPG).
Wizards’ Scott Brooks ‘Firmly’ On Hot Seat?
Wizards head coach Scott Brooks is “sitting firmly” on the hot seat, league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
Brooks, who was hired by the Wizards in 2016, is now in the final season of his five-year contract with the club, O’Connor notes. His tenure in D.C. got off to a strong start with a 49-33 regular season record and a first-round playoff series win in ’16/17, but Washington’s winning percentage has declined every year since then. So far this season, the team is 2-8.
O’Connor suggests that Brooks “looks lost trying to find effective lineups” this season, though he cautions that the Wizards’ struggles can’t all be blamed on the head coach.
The team’s mid-level free agent addition – Robin Lopez – hasn’t been great, newly-added guard Russell Westbrook has shot a career-worst 37.8% from the floor, and Deni Avdija is a rookie going through growing pains. Thomas Bryant is now out for the season with a torn ACL, while Davis Bertans has been ineffective in the early going after signing a lucrative new long-term contract in November.
As O’Connor writes, it’s still very early in the season, so if the Wizards can turn things around, the pressure on Brooks should lift a little. But the fact that he doesn’t have a contract beyond this season doesn’t bode particularly well, especially if the club continues to underperform.
Cavaliers Sign Yogi Ferrell To 10-Day Contract
9:54am: The Cavaliers have officially signed Ferrell to his 10-day deal, the team announced in a press release. The contract will run through next Wednesday, January 20.
8:27am: The Cavaliers are signing veteran point guard Yogi Ferrell to a 10-day contract, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Ferrell is expected to be available to play on Monday night vs. Memphis after finalizing his deal and conducting the necessary COVID-19 testing, Fedor adds.
Typically, teams can’t sign players to 10-day contracts this early in the season — the 10-day signing window for 2021 doesn’t open until February 23. However, the NBA tweaked its rules a little for this season, allowing teams to complete 10-day deals early if they’re adding a player via the hardship provision.
A hardship exception allows a team to add an extra player to its 15-man roster on a short-term basis. It can be granted by the league if the club has at least four players who have missed three or more games due to injury or illness and are expected to be out for at least two more weeks.
We heard last week that the Cavaliers, who are currently without Kevin Love (calf), Dylan Windler (wrist), Dante Exum (calf), and Matthew Dellavedova (concussion), among others, planned to apply for an extra roster spot via the hardship provision as soon as they became eligible. It appears that request was approved, so Cleveland won’t have to waive anyone to sign Ferrell.
Ferrell, 27, was a member of the Kings for the last two years, averaging 5.3 PPG and 1.7 APG on .430/.342/.881 shooting in 121 total games (13.2 MPG) across those two seasons. He didn’t find a new NBA home in free agency in November after his contract with Sacramento expired, but will – at least for the time being – provide some point guard depth for the Cavs.
In addition to missing Exum and Dellavedova, Cleveland will also be without Darius Garland (shoulder) on Monday, while Collin Sexton (ankle) is listed as questionable. In other words, Ferrell could be immediately thrust into a prominent role, given the lack of options available at the point for the Cavs.
Bogdan Bogdanovic Suffers Fractured Knee
Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic has sustained an avulsion fracture in his right knee, along with associated soft tissue inflammation and a bone bruise, the team announced in a press release. The fourth-year guard underwent an MRI earlier today.
Bogdanovic suffered the injury during the second quarter of Saturday’s game against Charlotte, later being listed as “doubtful” to return. He was ruled out a short time later.
While a recovery timeline for Bogdanovic has yet to be announced, an extended absence seems likely. His treatment plan will be reviewed and updated later this week, the team said.
Bogdanovic, 28, has averaged 9.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 23.7 minutes per game this season, shooting 38.5% from the floor and 36% from deep in nine contests. He signed a four-year, $72MM offer sheet to join the Hawks in free agency after spending his first three seasons with Sacramento.
One of several veteran free agents signed by Atlanta in the fall, Bogdanovic has now joined most of his fellow newcomers on the injury list. Kris Dunn (ankle), Danilo Gallinari (ankle), and Rajon Rondo (knee) are also out.
Atlanta has upcoming games scheduled against the Sixers on Monday and Suns on Wednesday. The team currently holds a 4-5 record through nine contests, having dropped four straight games.
Heat-Celtics Game Postponed Due To COVID-19 Protocols
The NBA has postponed the Heat–Celtics game scheduled for Sunday, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Both teams were dealing with COVID-19 related issues. A Heat player returned an inconclusive test on Sunday, and the team does not have required eight players to proceed with game due to contact tracing, Charania adds. Avery Bradley was ruled out by the Heat earlier in the afternoon due to the league’s health and safety protocols.
Boston was already down to the minimum eight players, mainly due to those same regulations. They had seven players listed as out due to health and safety protocols, including top scorers Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They also had two injured players on their roster.
However, the NBA plans to trudge on despite increasing issues with the coronavirus. The league has no plans to pause this season, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Avery Bradley Sidelined By Health And Safety Protocols
Heat guard Avery Bradley is the latest player to be sidelined due to the league’s health and safety protocols. He’ll miss Sunday’s game against the Celtics for that reason, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Bradley is expected to miss more games beyond Sunday’s tilt, Wojnarowski adds in another tweet.
Last week, Bradley was listed on Heat injury report due to health and safety protocols because of a stomach illness. His new status is related to COVID-19 contact tracing protocols, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets.
Bradley departed the Lakers and signed a two-year, $11.6MM contract with Miami in November. Thus far, Bradley is averaging 10.0 PPG and 1.7 APG in 22.9 MPG with the Heat. He opted out of last summer’s restart.
The Celtics will be even more shorthanded and might be down to the league’s minimum of eight players, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. They have three players listed as out due to COVID-19 protocols and another, star forward Jayson Tatum, listed as doubtful for that reason. Three other players are listed as questionable, including Jaylen Brown, due to those protocols. They also have two injured players on their roster.
Thomas Bryant Suffers Torn ACL
An MRI performed this morning on Wizards center Thomas Bryant confirmed that he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Thomas was injured during the first quarter of Saturday’s game with Miami and had to be helped off the court by trainers.
Bryant, 23, was averaging a career-best 14.3 PPG, along with 6.1 rebounds and 0.8 blocks through 10 games. He will probably need nine to 12 months to recover and will be heading into a contract year, notes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports (Twitter link). Bryant will make $8,666,667 in 2021/22 and will be a free agent following that season.
Veteran Robin Lopez will probably take over as the starting center, Hughes adds (Twitter link), and the injury creates an opportunity for Moritz Wagner, who was recently removed from the rotation. Wagner has gotten into just four games this season and is averaging 11.5 minutes per night.
Washington will likely apply for a disabled player exception to offset the loss, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. It would be valued at roughly $4.2MM, which is half of Bryant’s salary for this season. Marks notes that the Wizards are currently $842K below the luxury tax line and don’t have a roster spot open. The deadline to apply is March 3 and it can be used until April 19.
The DPE can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers, or to acquire a player in a trade. However, it can only be used on one player and can only accommodate a player on a one-year deal. A free agent signee can’t get a multiyear contract, and any trade or waiver target must be in the final year of his contract.