2023-24 G-League, Two-Way, rookie, and prospect thread

[famicommander]

It's clear CG can get any shot he wants at any time. Layups, threes, pull ups, catch and shoot, anything. He can get open whenever. He's also getting his feet set and stepping into them with confidence, but they're still just a degree off. So far he's 5/13 on FG, 2/5 from 3, 1/1 FT tonight.

He can also get any shot he wants for his team mates. Nobody takes a bad shot with Gillespie on the floor.

[famicommander]

Full statlines tomorrow since they're playing the same team again but the Gold lost this game on a bogus travel call in OT. It was target scoring (first to 113 points), CG was driving the lane with the score 112-111 Herd, CG lost the ball but then picked it back up and they ruled he never lost possession and simply walked. Awful call, Dre was incensed. The Herd went to the other end and missed a jumper, but since we had nobody on the court over 6'8" their center just tipped it in for the W.

Everybody but CG and Key disappeared in the 4th. Literally every FG the Gold made in the quarter was either a CG shot or a Key shot assisted by CG. The only other points were Pickett free throws, and he missed one that would have won it in regulation.

Tyson and Pickett were scorching hot in the first half and then MIA.

CG still didn't shoot great, only 9/23, but he absolutely carried them in the 4th quarter. Absolute dog out there. He'd chew through somebody's ass for a rebound. And if the stat keeper had his glasses he'd have had another triple double. Scorekeeper probably missed 15 team assists and a good 7 or 8 turnovers out there that I saw. Will be interesting to see if the statlines change overnight as they often do in the G-League.

Key played awesome.

Quick and dirty stat lines

CG: 22/10/7/1/0
Pickett: 27/2/4/0/0
Key: 29/15/1/2/1
Tyson: 20/8/1/1/1

All other Gold players: 15 points

[TNF]

Thanks for the report. Any comments about Andre Miller? How is he as a coach? Any interesting mannerisms\traits? Will he be on the Nuggets bench someday, or is he good where he is?

[famicommander]

Dec 15, 2023 22:48:10 GMT -5 TNF said:

Thanks for the report. Any comments about Andre Miller? How is he as a coach? Any interesting mannerisms\traits? Will he be on the Nuggets bench someday, or is he good where he is?

It's really hard to judge him considering his roster is in constant flux. I don't watch any of the games unless one or more Nugs guys are playing, but he could go from 0 NBA guys one night to literally 5 the next night.

I do wish he wouldn't play Pickett and Gillespie out there together, because when he does Pickett just automatically defers to Collin and if he does that he isn't developing as a point guard. But it's also hard to keep either of them off the court when they're both so much better than the other bodies he has to work with.

There wasn't a ton he could do tonight with the complete lack of size. They had Andrew Funk, who looks no bigger than Pickett, playing the small forward out there tonight with Braxton Key at the center and Hunter Tyson playing power forward. 

I'm far from an expert on the Xs and Os but it does seem the team was often confused on when to switch. Not super surprising with dudes playing out of position and not having a ton of experience together, though.

It seemed like any time the Herd wanted it tonight they ended up with Drew Timme (who is over 6'10" in shoes) on Jalen or Collin in the paint. 

Jay Huff would have made a massive difference out there tonight, that's for sure. Hopefully whatever is wrong with him heals up soon.

I won't be watching tomorrow's game so I'll only have the stat lines to post. Nuggets, Avalanche, and Broncos are all playing and there are also several big fights on 3 different stupid platforms so I don't have nearly enough time or screens to bother with a G-League game.

[famicommander]

CG is dissecting the G-League Ignite right now.

Through 3 quarters:
16 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 6/8 FG, 2/3 3PT, 1/2 FT, +22 in 24 minutes

Guy was averaging 20/10/12 coming into the game, but on inefficient shooting. Tonight the shot is falling. Gold up 30.

[famicommander]

Pick with 19 points on 7/11 shooting

[famicommander]

Very little overlap between CG and Pickett minutes tonight. Good adjustment by Dre.

Huff, Key, Pickett, Tyson, and CG are all playing tonight so it's no surprise they're dominating.

[famicommander]

Starters pulled halfway through the 4th, still up 30.

Quick and dirty lines

Gillespie: 16/9/8/2/0, 6/8 FG, 2/3 3PT, 1/2 FT
Pickett: 19/4/3/3/0, 7/11 FG, 2/5 3PT, 2/2 FT
Tyson: 17/4/1/0/0, 7/13 FG, 3/6 3PT, 0/1 FT
Key: 15/13/4/0/1, 6/16 FG, 1/4 3PT, 1/2 FT
Huff: 10/5/1/0/2, 3/6 FG, 0/1 3PT, 2/3 FT

Poor shooting night for Key, not much else to complain about.

Gillespie is the definite leader out there. He's the most vocal and he just seems to see everything on the court better than anyone else. He's looking quick on that first step. He has a lot of offensive gravity which leaves dudes wide open and he has the vision and passing ability to hit them. He's fighting for rebounds, setting screens for bigger guys (they're all bigger, but you know what I mean), fighting for loose balls. Easy to see what Booth likes about him. Hopefully tonight's shooting performance is a sign of things to come, because if he starts hitting shots like he did in college he's going to be a real handful.

Great shooting night for Pickett, 3:3 on the assist to turnover though. But it was good to see him staggered with Gillespie so he has to bring the ball up more.

Tyson has finally put together a few good shooting performances in a row. Great sign. He's still a turnstyle on defense but it's an improvement.

Key is a dog out there, too. He is never the biggest guy on the court but he wants those rebounds the most. Even when his shot doesn't fall he's contributing in every other facet of the game.

Huff was pretty quiet but he's a big defensive presence out there.

[famicommander]

Not gonna post every box score I missed but here are the updated averages.

Hunter Tyson (11 games):
23.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.3 blocks, 3.0 turnovers, 1.7 fouls, 44.8% FG, 36.7% 3PT, 86.1% FT, +28

Jay Huff (10 games):
18.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals, 3.3 blocks, 1.5 turnovers, 3.0 fouls, 62.4% FG, 41.5% 3PT, 84.2% FT, +2

Jalen Pickett (7 games):
17.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocks, 2.3 turnovers, 2.7 fouls, 49.5% FG, 45.2% 3PT, 66.7% FT, +90

Collin Gillespie (4 games): 
19.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 11.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.0 blocks, 3.8 turnovers, 3.0 fouls, 44.1% FG, 29.0% 3PT, 57.1% FT, +21

Braxton Key (5 games): 
23.4 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.2 blocks, 3.0 turnovers, 3.0 fouls, 58.0% FG, 26.7% 3PT, 72.2% FT, +30

General thoughts:
Hunter Tyson has started to shoot the ball better the last few games. He doesn't get enough rebounds, has quite a few turnovers, is bad at setting screens, and is a turnstyle on defense. Often out of position, too weak to cover bigs, too slow to cover guards or wings. For the most part he has been an inefficient volume scorer.

Huff has been solid but he has already dealt with a rib injury and an ankle injury which have sometimes limited his minutes. Should be a better rebounder than he is; he's over 7'2" in his shoes. Excellent defender, efficient shooter, better passer than you might think. Hands are questionable but better than Zeke's. 

Pickett has been shooting lights out for the most part and is a creative passer, competent defender. Every team seems to play him the same way, though, and his success as a floor general is dependent upon the ability of his team mates having someone open and flashing his hands when the other team tries to stop Pickett's dribble. If nobody is open, Pickett will surely dribble himself into trouble and probably turn it over. If someone is open, Pickett will hit them, usually for an easy basket. The scouting report on him is out: make him dribble through traffic, try to stop his dribble high. If you give him space he'll get to the rack (slowly) or bust a 3 in your face. 

Gillespie has been all over the floor on both ends. He's only really had one good shooting performance out of four games but in every game he's been the vocal leader and floor general out there. It's apparent at this level that he can get to any spot he wants on the floor, which collapses the defense and leaves people wide open. It's incredibly rare for the team to take a poor shot with Collin out there. And his effort level is always maxed out. For a guy under 6'3" in his shoes to be pulling down 10 rebounds per game while a guy a literal foot taller than he is pulls down 8 should give you some idea as to how he's playing. On defense he's calling out the assignments,  challenging every shot, he's getting steals and deflections, and he's able to stay in front of G-League guys for the most part. We haven't seen this part of his game translated at the NBA level yet but hopefully it comes as his leg continues to improve. His shot hasn't looked bad, it just hasn't been falling consistently. He's not taking contested shots, he's not off balance, he's not inconsistent in his form. Just hasn't had consistent results yet. But as I said the other day, the main thing you can say about Collin is that he seems to see the game better than anybody else on the court. Nothing is happening too fast for him, he's never out of position that I can see, he never seems surprised or in a panic. 

Braxton Key looks like a man among boys out there. It's clear that he's extremely comfortable dominating at this level, as he did last year. Efficient scoring, excellent defense, excellent rebounding. Not really hitting 3s and committing a few turnovers but other than that I can't find much to criticize. He definitely has the fewest holes in his game of any of the five, even if he may have the lowest ceiling. I don't know if he can do it at the NBA level or not but this guy is too good for the G-League. I think he could really get paid internationally if he doesn't get a long term shot in the NBA.

[Coach Sticky]

Bro you crazy

[famicommander]

Dec 22, 2023 18:21:24 GMT -5 Coach Sticky said:

Bro you crazy

Perhaps, but I'm also the least surprised by the jump that Watson has made this year because I watched him play 20 G-League games last year and he stood out.

[GBG]

Dec 22, 2023 18:21:24 GMT -5 Coach Sticky said:

Bro you crazy

Fami is performing a free scouting service for us. Don’t upset him. 🤣

[famicommander]

RealGM has a stat called hands on buckets. It's FG+A for one player divided by total team FGs.

For the Nugs, Jokic unsurprisingly leads this stat with a .441. In other words, 44% of all Nuggets field goals with Jokic on the court are scored or assisted by Jokic.

Gillespie's hands on buckets for the Gold? .437. He's a tiny G-League Joker.

[famicommander]

Two games to update.

12/29: The Gold beat the Knicks 119-115

Gillespie:
32 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks, 6 turnovers, 2 fouls, 12/21 FG, 5/7 3PT, 2/2 FT, +8 in 42 minutes

Tyson:
18 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 0 blocks, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 7/18 FG, 2/7 3PT, 2/3 FT, +2 in 42 minutes

Huff:
11 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 5 blocks, 4 turnovers, 3 fouls, 4/12 FG, 1/6 3PT, 1/1 FT, -3 in 32 minutes

12/31: The Gold won 112-108

Gillespie:
22 points, 9 rebounds, 15 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 9/18 FG, 3/7 3PT, 1/2 FT, +9 in 45 minutes

Tyson:
17 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks, 4 turnovers, 5 fouls, 5/15 FG, 5/8 3PT, 1/2 FT, -1 in 34 minutes

Huff:
28 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 0 steals, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 11/19 FG, 4/7 3PT, 1/1 FT, -5 in 34 minutes

That's 3 games in a row of good shooting for Collin Gillespie. Seems like he's found his shot, and the rest of his game hasn't gone away. Tons of assists, a really high number of rebounds for a guy under 6'3" in his shoes. He's really locked in right now. The only thing you can really nitpick is that he's not getting to the line enough to get into a free throw shooting rhythm. We all know this guy should be shooting in the high 80s. But otherwise, I'm not sure what more you could ask of a G-League point guard. They're even winning with him. 2-0 in the G-League regular season, 4-2 in all games Gillespie has played, 3-9 in games Gillespie has not played.

More inefficient shooting for Hunter Tyson but at least he's starting to pass the ball well. Still can't cover anybody, still doesn't get enough rebounds, but he's at least looking less lost out there. Slow progress.

Huff just continues to be a veteran presence out there. I don't really think he's going to develop any more than he already has; he's basically just getting minutes to stay active and help develop the other young guys.


Season averages

Hunter Tyson (13 games):
22.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.2 blocks, 2.9 turnovers, 1.9 fouls, 44.0% FG, 38.5% 3PT, 82.9% FT, +29

Jay Huff (12 games):
18.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals, 3.2 blocks, 1.8 turnovers, 2.8 fouls, 59.3% FG, 40.7% 3PT, 85.7% FT, -6

Jalen Pickett (7 games):
17.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocks, 2.3 turnovers, 2.7 fouls, 49.5% FG, 45.2% 3PT, 66.7% FT, +90

Collin Gillespie (6 games):
21.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 11.7 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.0 blocks, 4.0 turnovers, 2.7 fouls, 48.1% FG, 37.8% 3PT, 63.4% FT, +38

Braxton Key (5 games):
23.4 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.2 blocks, 3.0 turnovers, 3.0 fouls, 58.0% FG, 26.7% 3PT, 72.2% FT, +30

[famicommander]

Dec 23, 2023 13:17:00 GMT -5 famicommander said:

RealGM has a stat called hands on buckets. It's FG+A for one player divided by total team FGs.

For the Nugs, Jokic unsurprisingly leads this stat with a .441. In other words, 44% of all Nuggets field goals with Jokic on the court are scored or assisted by Jokic.

Gillespie's hands on buckets for the Gold? .437. He's a tiny G-League Joker.

Gillespie's hands on buckets stat is up to .469.

I'd say it's time to call CG up except we don't have any minutes for him and he still hasn't missed nearly enough NBA games yet, so he just needs to keep getting minutes and keep improving his leg's stability and mobility. 

[famicommander]

Collin Gillespie has won G-League Player of the Month for December.

Slacking on the box score updates but I'll get around to it. Pickett has been seemingly playing well by the box scores, but I haven't been watching.

[famicommander]

Will update the averages tomorrow, been slacking because tracking 5 dudes is a way bigger pain in the ass than tracking 2 like last season.

Tonight's lines

Gillespie: 36 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 steals in 47 minutes
Key: 30 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks in 38 minutes

Gold won 115-109

[famicommander]

Updated averages

Hunter Tyson (21 games):
23.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.1 blocks, 2.6 turnovers, 2.1 fouls, 44.4% FG, 37.4% 3PT, 88.0% FT

Jay Huff (14 games):
18.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.7 steals, 3.1 blocks, 1.8 turnovers, 2.4 fouls, 59.0% FG, 39.7% 3PT, 87.5% FT

Jalen Pickett (15 games):
19.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.2 blocks, 2.4 turnovers, 2.4 fouls, 48.5% FG, 44.1% 3PT, 73.7% FT

Collin Gillespie (9 games):
20.9 points, 9.0 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.0 blocks, 3.6 turnovers, 2.4 fouls, 44.3% FG, 33.3% 3PT, 81.5% FT

Braxton Key (7 games):
24.1 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.3 blocks, 3.1 turnovers, 3.0 fouls, 53.8% FG, 20.0% 3PT, 80.0% FT

Overall thoughts:
Tyson has not really shown much growth. He's going to take a ton of shots; if he's hot they'll go in, if he's not they won't, but he's gonna take 'em. Not any sort of defender, not a great rebounder for his size, not a great passer. Just an inconsistent volume scorer that can get hot.

Huff is an excellent defender, an efficient scorer, and a decent passer. Zeke hands, should get twice as many rebounds as he gets for a guy 7'3" in his shoes. The only real reason to keep playing him in the G-League is so that the other guys benefit from his experience and quality. I don't think he has much more development to do.

Pickett's turnovers have been limited but the numbers can be deceptive because whenever he's on the court our entire offense revolves around protecting his dribbling and ball handling skills. It doesn't feel organic. But even still, he has proven himself a tenacious defender and a very creative passer, and his shot has fallen pretty consistently. If he ever does develop NBA level handles he can play at the next level.

Gillespie has shown steady improvement as far as his mobility and defense. No clue if that translates at the NBA level but at the G-League level the only criticism I have is his shot is still inconsistent. His intelligence, leadership, and effort levels are off the charts. Putting these big dudes to shame on the boards, too.

Braxton Key is much like Huff but with fewer holes in his game. He can't shoot 3s but that's about the only issue, at least at this level. Excellent defender, efficient scorer, good rebounder, can guard multiple positions, better passer than you might think. He has mastered this level of play. Again, we haven't seen it translate at the NBA level but there's nothing left to prove in the G-League. He is out of two-way eligibility next year so he has to either stick in the NBA or move onto Europe, Australia, or Asia. He can certainly make more money somewhere than being a full time G-Leaguer would offer.

[GBG]

Key seems like he has a floor of Torrey Craig, who couldn’t shoot 3’s when he came into the league either. I think getting him on playoff roster and using him situationally for defense would be fine. Need to trade Tyson to a team like Charlotte who could give him PT. And finally, we need to choose between Pickett and CG. One is a keeper, I’m just not sure which one. The other should also be dealt.

[famicommander]

Gillespie has been named to the G-League Next Up squad and will accompany Joker to All-Star Weekend. He's also presently leading the entire G-League in assists per game. 17th in rebounds, 20th in points, 16th in steals.

The Philly Inquirer did a nice fluff piece about him when the Nugs played the Sixers. Some quotes about him from the guys

"He’s just waiting for his time. He’s so good. He works so hard at his game. He’s always getting shots up after games when he doesn’t play.

He might be considered undersized, but he doesn’t show that on the court. He’s just a great locker-room guy. For me, I’m just waiting for him to get on the court, because he deserves to be out there. He’s got talent and that grit you can never measure in a player." - Jamal Murray

"He’s just a great guy. A leader by nature just because he’s a point guard. He’s someone that’s always the same with his approach no matter what. He never gets high or too low. He’s always gritty. He’s always been a dominant player, he’s not scared of nobody. He don’t back down from nobody.

That’s one thing I will always admire about Collin. He doesn’t care who’s standing in front of you. He’s going to play his game and play hard." - Peyton Watson

"Glue guy. He helped us put up a banner in the rafters. It’s great being his teammate. I’m so proud of him. He’s overcome and learned so much over the past year." - DeAndre Jordan

DJ is his plane travel buddy and Jamal is his car travel buddy, so it's no surprise those two wanted to give him some shine.