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Top 15 Most Intriguing Prospects Attending 2017 G League Player Invitational

Editor Dakota Schmidt takes a look at the fifteen most intriguing prospects that will attend this year’s NBA G League Player Invitational.

By Dakota Schmidt
Kent State v UCLA Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

On Friday afternoon, the NBA G League released a list of prospects that will be participating in their annual Player Invitational. Although this event, formally known as the NBAGL National Tryout, had previously been a venue for unknown college graduates or weekend warriors, it took a turn last year. Coinciding with the regular crop of pro basketball hopefuls, the G League invited up to 50 players that consistent of top talent like Trahson Burrell or Shaquille Harrison.

That will take place yet again this year as the G League has currently invited 40 prospects to participate in their Player Invitational which will be held on August 18th in Chicago. While that list of names should increase over the next few days, I think it’s still appropriate to give our take on the fifteen prospects that we’re most intrigued by.

  1. Isaac Hamilton - Former shooting guard of the UCLA Bruins that worked as the team’s third scoring option behind Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf. Last season, the 6’4 guard averaged 14.1 points and 2.7 assists on 45% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc in 30 minutes per game.
  2. Tidjane Keita - This guy is the main reason why I titled this piece “top 20 most intriguing prospects” rather than just “top 20 prospects”. Keita stands as arguably the most intriguing invite due to how of an unknown he actually is. Aside from a few YouTube videos and a great Vice Sports (RIP) piece, there isn’t any information out there. From what I can gather, he’s a 20 year-old 6’10 forward with a 7’3 wingspan that apparently has a solid perimeter jumper and can throw down some sick dunks. Although he was technically at Vegas Summer League with the Raptors, he only played a total of four minutes where he put up two points and two fouls. It’s going to be extremely to hear how Keita performs during the Player Invitational as he’ll compete against a crop of solid front-court players.
  3. Jordan Mathews - Former shooting guard for California and Gonzaga. With both teams, he stood as a terrific perimeter shooter that put up 11.5 points on 42% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc on 5.6 three-point attempts per game.
  4. Trevor Thompson - 6’9 forward that spent the previous two seasons with he Ohio State Buckeyes. Despite only playing 23 minutes per game, Thompson flirted with a double-double last year by putting up 10.6 points and 9.2 rebounds on 57% from the field in 2016-17. Most of that shine came from his amazing work on the offensive glass as he averaged 2.7 offensive boards per game.
  5. JaCorey Williams - Athletic 6’8 forward that spent his senior season at Middle Tennessee State, after being at Arkansas during the prior three years. Williams was the 2017 C-USA Player of the Year that averaged 17.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on 53% from the field. Stands as arguably the best dunker in this year’s Player Invitational.
  6. John Gillon - 6’0 point guard that finished his college career at Syracuse, after spending the prior two seasons at Colorado State. During that lone season at Syracuse, he stood as a guard facilitator that averaged 5.6 assists with a 2.6 Ast/TO ratio. Coinciding with that, he was a threat from beyond the arc as Gillon put up 10.5 points on 42% from the three-point line.
  7. Daniel Dixon - Former William & Mary player that shined as one of the most efficient guards in college basketball. That status was established by him maintaining a terrific 62% True Shooting Percentage last season, as he put up 19.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 48% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc.
  8. Kendall Pollard - Extremely athletic 6’6 forward that attacked the rim relentlessly at Dayton. That trait allowed him to put up 14 points, 5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game on 52% from the field in 26 minutes per game during his senior season.
  9. Luke Petrasek - Extremely skilled stretch big that can help in a variety of different ways from: facilitating, post-ups, perimeter/mid-range shooting and defense. That bevy of skills pushed the former Columbia forward to average 15 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists on 49% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc.
  10. Tyler Roberson - The former Syracuse forward stood as arguably the best offensive rebounder in college basketball over the course of his four years at the school. . Although he had a limited role with the team, as he averaged 23.5 minutes during his career, Roberson was able to average 2.6 offensive rebounds per game.
  11. Troy Caupain - Honestly, I would’ve probably had Caupain in the top five if it wasn’t for one major flaw: efficiency. When you watch him play, he stands as an intriguing prospect that’s quick, nice handles and can hit a solid mid-range shot. Alongside that, he’s a pretty clutch player. However, Caupain stands in the middle of the pack due to him being an extremely inefficient player that only had one season where he shot better than 40% from the field. Coinciding with that, he also maintained a 52% True Shooting Percentage during his career, which isn’t that great for a 6’4 guard. However, Caupain is only 21-years-old so he definitely has a lot of time to grow as a player.
  12. Tony Parker - Former center for UCLA that took the year off after graduating in 2016. Like Roberson, Parker was a great offensive rebounder as he collected 3.2 offensive boards in 25 minutes per game during his senior season.
  13. Craig Victor - The run of solid offensive rebounders continues with Craig Victor, who had a solid three-year career at LSU. That work was most prevalent during his last season where he collected 2.9 offensive boards in 25 minutes per game.
  14. Chris Flemmings - Solid little under the radar guard that was pretty solid for UNC-Wilmington. During his two-year career, he stood as a solid offensive weapon that put up 15.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game on 49% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc. Although great during the regular season, he really impressed during the team’s back-to-back runs to the NCAA Tournament as he put up 18 points on 7-16 from the field against both Duke (2016) and Virginia (2017).
  15. Jeremy Hollowell - After Flemmings, Hollowell is another mid-major prospect that could end up making his way to the G League. As a 6’7 forward that spent his final two years at Georgia State, Hollowell was a pretty well-rounded scoring threat that showed some perimeter range while also being a great slasher.

Honorable Mentions

Jay Wright

Marc Loving

Demetris Morant

Tyler Harris

J.R. Holder