Photo: hoops.ph

Players have varying opinions on the NBA D-League. For Othyus Jeffers, it was an oasis—a beacon of hope. After going undrafted in the 2008 NBA draft, the NAIA star was picked up by the Iowa Energy. And it didn't take long for them to realize that they were sitting on a gold mine. Although overshadowed by eventual season MVP in Courtney Sims, the rookie averaged 20.6 points and 8.8 rebounds. Jeffers ranked third in the league in player efficiency, behind only Sims and James White.

That Rookie of the Year season was the swingman's ticket to the NBA, where he debuted for the Utah Jazz in March 2010. Jeffers' time in the big league was brief, and he made drawn-out returns to the Energy just about every year. He closed out his fifth and final stint in Iowa averaging 20.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. His performance warranted him a third All-Star Game appearance and the co-MVP award with Ron Howard.

Until now, Jeffers has pulled on the uniforms of three different NBA teams. But since 2014, it has seemed to many that he has slipped back into obscurity. However, the 30-year-old hasn't disappeared from the pro basketball picture yet.

In May 2014, he signed a contract with Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters of the Philippine Basketball Association as a highly touted import. Jeffers exploded for 38 points and 13 rebounds in his debut in the PBA Governors' Cup, but his time there was cut short by a knee injury. The injury put his season on hold and complications with an NBA contract forced him to leave the Texters.

It took nearly two years for Jeffers find another contract in the Philippines. This February, he signed with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, one of the league's most prominent teams. Jeffers was welcomed to Ginebra's lineup as a proven perimeter shooter. Head coach Tim Cone expected the newcomer to take considerable weight off the shoulders of big men Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar, nicknamed the "Twin Towers". And he has done just that.

Through ten games as Ginebra's starting small forward, he leads his team with 24.3 points, 16.5 rebounds, and he is tied with LA Tenorio as their top assister, with 4.6. He is the only player in the league to average at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 assists. Jeffers is expected to remain with Ginebra heading into the Governors' Cup, the final of three annual PBA tournaments. This cup allows teams to play with a single foreign player.

Ginebra hasn't won a single tournament since the PBA adopted its current format in 2010, and Cone will have to utilize his star import as much as possible to help the team return to their former glory. Jeffers may have reached the final stages of his career, but as one of the league's most dominant and versatile players, Filipino fans will remember him for years to come.