Let’s Appreciate Some G Leaguers: Edition #2

Devin Robinson - Raptors 905

If you’ve read any pieces on the 905 from either Blake Murphy or Kelsea O’Brien during this season, you’d quickly realize that Robinson might be more interesting off the court compared to when he’s playing. From his correct opinion on “Careless Whisper” to being a chicken wings-loving jokester, the 25-year-old forward seems to be the kind of person that anyone should get to know.

Moving onto his on-court play, Robinson stood as a key part of a team that was in position to make the playoffs before the season came to an immediate conclusion. In only 27 minutes per game, he averaged 17.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1 block on 55% from the field. Those numbers have come from Robinson being a long, athletic 6’7 forward that is a threat to finish at the rim whether he’s working in transition or half-court.

Christ Koumadje- Delaware Blue Coats

Before the season came to an end, 7’4 center Christ Koumadje stood as one of the hottest players in the G League. During the last 10 games, he averaged 11.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 5.8 blocks (!!!) on 66% from the field in only 28 minutes per game. Along with using his height and quick feet to be a spectacular rim protector, the Florida State alum also stood as a fantastic offensive rebounder, roll man, and somebody that can throw up smooth running floaters. That status as a strong two-way threat definitely puts him in a better position career-wise than before the year began.

Stephan Hicks - Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Perhaps the most depressing part about the premature end of the G League season deals with how players that seemed to be on the verge of getting a 10-day deal will have to wait for that opportunity. One example of that is veteran Mad Ants wing Stephan Hicks, who was in the middle of the best season of his pro career. In 41 games with the team, he put up 14.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists on 52% from the field and 47% from 3 on 2.7 attempts per game.

The most surprising part of those numbers deals with his work from beyond the arc. During his first four seasons in the league, his best three-point percentage came during the 2017-18 season where he only shot 34% on 3.2 attempts per game. The fact that he made a 13% improvement either shows that he was just lucky during his 41 games with the team or that the 27-year-old made drastic improvements to his jumper. If it’s the second thing, he really should’ve been in line for a 10-day call-up considering that he got the same type of deal during the prior year.

Tra-Deon Hollins - Grand Rapids Drive

In the first part of this new series, we took a look at guard Craig Sword’s impact on Grand Rapids on both ends of the court. The third year player wasn’t the only backcourt player on the team that was able to stand as a two-way threat. Another player would be 6’2 guard Tra-Deon Hollins, who came to the team after spending the last two years with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. During the 2019-20 campaign, he averaged 6.9 points, 7.9 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.6 steals on 36% from the field.

Although he struggled as a shooter by maintaining a 45% True Shooting Percentage, the 3rd year player still stood as a positive part of the team. On the defensive end, opponents were seven points per 100 possessions worse when he was on the court (96 points per 100) compared to when he was sitting on the bench (103.1 points per 100). That tremendous impact was a factor behind the team having the best defense in the G League.