Which NBA team’s group of guys on Exhibit 10 contracts have the most potential?
— Westchester Knicks (@wcknicks) September 21, 2019
As we’re around a month until NBA training camp ends, there’s still a lot of time for teams to sign more prospects to Exhibit 10 contracts. Currently, picking the team with the best set of Exhibit 10 prospects in terms of a potential is extremely tough as there’s a lot of units out there. Some teams that come to mind are the Celtics, Lakers, Bucks, Knicks and Pelicans. However, I think the four prospects (Jalen Adams, Aubrey Dawkins, Javon Bess, Kavell Bigby-Williams) that New Orleans will send to the Erie BayHawks stand out as the best.
Adams and Bess would bring different aspects to the Erie BayHawks’ backcourt with Adams being a well-rounded scoring threat while Bess is a dominating force on the other end of the ball that was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2019. Meanwhile, Dawkins is a fantastic 3-and-D threat while Bigby-Williams should immediately step in and be a solid rim protector for the expansion BayHawks team.
Do you see any of the Lakers 2 way and exhibit 10 players crack into the rotation this year?
— James Maglinao (@santimags3) September 19, 2019
With Anthony Davis and LeBron James joining forces, the Lakers are definitely going to be a position to push for the top seed in a wide-open Western Conference. This predicament means that they’ll be looking to field a team on a game-by-game basis that will put them in the position to win games and push for home-court advantage in the the 2020 playoffs. That essentially means that the core that Frank Vogel will part of their experienced rotation rather than the higher upside prospects they might have utilized in past years.
In terms with how the Lakers are currently positioned, I actually think 2nd-year player Kostas Antetokounmpo has the best shot among the exhibit 10 and two-way guys to crack the team’s rotation.
Part of that thought comes from how the team’s front-court depth is a bit lacking after DeMarcus Cousins suffered a season-ending injury. With the recent acquisition of veteran center Dwight Howard, the team will have a duo at the center position with him and JaVale McGee. However, Howard’s recent back injury and the tibia problems that McGee has dealt with during his career could leave a hole at that center position during the course of the 2019-20 season.
That potential predicament would leave a hole that Antetokounmpo could potentially fill in. Although he’s still pretty raw, the 6’10 big showed some upside during his rookie year with the Texas Legends, where he averaged 13 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks on 55% from the field during his last 10 games of the 2018-19 season. If he can produce at that rate during the first few weeks of the G League season and continue to show growth as a perimeter shooter, Kostas would make for a solid temporarily replacement if either Howard or McGee go down with an injury.
How will California's Fair Pay for Play act impact the idea of the G League pulling elite high school talent away from college hoops?
— Matt Fantone (@Fantone) September 19, 2019
In terms of the actual athletes themselves, the move that legislation in California has made is a huge mean when it comes to allowing college athletes within the state to make money off their names, images and likeness. Obviously, the current system within the NCAA is atrocious as everyone from coaches, athletic directors, conferences, media networks and of course the actual schools themselves to make money off the labor from these unpaid college athletes.
However, this act in California won’t be put into place in 2023. That’s extremely vital information when it comes to the G League as the current one-and-done rule could be abolished as soon as 2022. If it were to change in that year, NBA teams would be allowed to select elite high school prospects during the 2023 NBA Draft. Due to how unlikely those young players are to immediately contribute at an NBA level, a lot of those young players will likely spend most of their rookie year in the G League.
In the case that the eradication of the one-and-done rule is pushed further into the future, there’s a lot of factors that could go into whether the Fair Pay for Play Act would effect the G League. There’s a lot of elements to consider, which is why you’ll probably seeing a piece answering this question in a lot more detail.
What can @CantonCharge fans expect out of @deanwade3232?
— Matt Fantone (@Fantone) September 19, 2019
Charge fans should expect to see a 6’10 big that essentially works as a do-it all offensive weapon. From crashing the offensive, using dribble moves to both get to and score around the paint, posting up, facilitating and even hitting the occasional 3, Wade used his time at Kansas State to prove himself to be a dynamic offensive weapon. This fact allowed him to get named to the All-Big 12 First Team during both the 2017-18 and 2018-19 season. Although he might stumble out of the gate getting adjusted to the pace of the G League, there’s a chance he could stand out as one of the league’s best rookie bigs.