Curtis Hines Impressing Early On During NBA D-League Open Tryouts

It's officially open tryout season in the NBA D-League as teams begin preparing for the 2015-16 campaign. With that in mind, plenty of aspiring prospects are hitting the hardwood in hopes of impressing respective staffs.

As some of the early returns and feedback come back, Curtin Hines appears to be a name worth remembering.

This is Hines' second go-around with regard to the open tryout last season. He did so last fall as well, but failed to catch on with a team heading into training camp. With a new season steadily approaching, it's clear he's going to intense measures to ensure such an opportunity doesn't slip away yet again.

Over the course of last season, Hines could be found working out with longtime D-League coach and champion Bob MacKinnon in their home state of North Carolina. The young gun subsequently went on to compete in the minor league's annual national tryout in New York City this past summer. As fate would have it, Hines ascended as one of the session's top performers, therefore earning himself a D-League contract.

Of course, all that really means at this point is that Hines will be placed into the minor league player pool as a draft eligible prospect later this fall. While he's available to be selected by any team, there are still no guarantees.

Perhaps taking that into consideration, Hines has proven to be rather hungry over the last few weeks, multiple sources tell RidiculousUpside.com. He has once again continued to stand out, this time in local tryouts with both the Erie BayHawks in Orlando and the Delaware 87ers in Delaware.

"He was one of the best shooters in the gym," one source said of the young gun's Delaware performance.

It'll be interesting to see if either team chooses to be more aggressive and retain Hines before the draft comes along, but if anything is for sure, it's that he's on the right track.