NBA G League Playoffs: Best Two-Way Players From The Postseason
As we end the season and after an exciting NBA G League Playoffs, a handful of two-way players got a chance to extend their minor-league campaigns. Here are five players that impressed during this year’s postseason.
Click here to read this week’s Two-Way Tracker report
NBA G League 101: Two-Way Contracts
Beginning in the 2017 offseason, NBA rosters expanded from 15 to 17 players with the addition of two spots for players under “Two-Way Contracts.”
NBA teams may have up to two players under NBA Two-Way Contracts who will spend the bulk of the season in the NBA G League and no more than 45 days with their NBA team. Two-Way players are paid a corresponding daily amount based on the number of days they play in each league. Only players with four or fewer years of NBA service are able to sign Two-Way Contracts, which can be for either one or two seasons.
NBAGLeague.com’s Two-Way Tracker will bring you all you need to know about the league’s top prospects throughout the 2017-18 season.
-
One of NBA G League's top floor generals over past three seasons; left college as conference's all-time leader in assists at Division II University of Alabama-Huntsville. He averaged 15.8 points, 9.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 50 starts last season.
-
A college player at Kansas, Nebraska, and Syracuse, white first got his chance in NBA Summer League with the Cleveland Cavaliers, before signing to play with the Maine Red Claws in the NBA G League to start the year. On Jan. 15, after an impressive showing at NBA G League Showcase, White received a GATORADE Call-Up to the Atlanta Hawks on a two-way contract.
-
Selected in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2017 NBA Draft, Allen averaged 9.8 points (45.3 percent field goals, 42.7 percent from 3), 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.0 minutes over 34 games (33 starts) as a redshirt senior at the University of Arizona.
-
A four-year graduate out of the University of California, Berkeley, Bird (6-6, 198 lbs.) earned All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors in 2016-17 after leading the Golden Bears in scoring with 14.3 points on 43.9 percent shooting (36.3 percent from 3).
-
Long, athletic wing with improving shooting ability; has potential to be "3-and-D" wing in NBA
-
First-time All-MVC player during senior season at Loyola (Illinois). Joined Nets for Summer League. Signed by Brooklyn to two-way deal after impressing for Long Island as affiliate player during first month of season.
-
Mathiang played college basketball at Louisville, and played for the Hornets in the 2017 Orlando Summer League, where he averaged 4.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
-
A former North Carolina Tar Heel, Paige was selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the 55th pick in 2016 NBA draft and was traded to the Utah Jazz in a deal agreed upon before the pick. The 6-foot-2, 164-pound guard has jumped around NBA teams before landing with the Hornets, gaining valuable experience along the way.
-
A Villanova basketball alum, Arcidiacono appeared in five games for the Bulls’ Summer League squad this year and averaged 5.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 24.0 minutes per contest.
-
Blakeney played two seasons at Louisiana State and went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft. Last season he was named to the All-SEC Second Team, averaging 17.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 32.9 minutes per game.
-
A 3-and-D wing who is signed to a two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers this year. Holland spent four seasons overseas before joining the Canton Charge of the G League last season and earning Call-Up to Boston Celtics. Holland was the G League Impact Player of the Year last season, where he totaled 22.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in 37 games (all starts). He earned America East Player of the Year honors as senior at Boston University.
-
Formerly from the University of Virginia, Perrantes played for the Miami Heat in the 2017 Summer League, averaging 10.0 points, 5.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 28.0 minutes per game.
-
Played college basketball for Baylor. As a junior, he averaged 17.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game en route to being named Baylor’s first-ever consensus All-American, taking home second-team honors.
-
Undrafted in 2016 out of Texas A&M, Jones spent his first professional season with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G League, where he averaged 21.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steal, accumulating many G League honors.
-
Monte Morris was one of the premier point guards in the Big 12, starring for Iowa State as a senior. He averaged 16.4 points, 6.3 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 46.5 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from the 3-point line and 80.2 percent from the free throw line.
-
A former South Carolina Gamecock, Craig had a strong showing with the Nuggets at this year’s NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, averaging 11.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in six games.
-
A Detroit native, Felder played collegiately at Oakland University for three seasons and averaged 17.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists in 101 games. The former Pershing High School product earned NCAA All-America honors from The Associated Press during his junior season at Oakland (2015-16) where he averaged 24.4 points, and NCAA-leading 9.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 35 games.
-
Hearn, 6-5, 210, played in 14 games (10 starts) with the Reno Bighorns of the NBA G League this season and averaged 14.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 30.7 minutes per game before being called up to the Pistons. The former Northwestern University product has played in 175 NBA G League games with the Idaho Stampede, Westchester Knicks and Bighorns averaging 10.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 26.7 minutes per game.
-
Boucher played college basketball at Oregon and was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team and earned All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors as a senior in 2016-17.
-
The Georgia State product was called up to the Houston Rockets on a two-way contract on Jan. 14, after a successful NBA G League Showcase week and start to the season.
-
Brown, a 6-3 guard from Oklahoma State, averaged 17.4 points with the Blue before getting a GATORADE Call-Up to the Rockets. He had played 35 games with the Brooklyn Nets in 2015-16 and 2016-17, averaging 5.3 points in 16.2 minutes per game.
-
Sumner played college basketball at Xavier where he had career averages of 11.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
-
Moore earned GATORADE Call-Up to the Indiana Pacers while at 2018 NBA G League Showcase. With the Mad Ants as a prospect player, Moore averaged 11 points and 6.6 rebounds in 25 games. Moore played college ball at SMU.
-
After being one of the most productive players in the NBA G League to begin the season, Wallace earned a GATORADE Call-Up to the L.A. Clippers. Wallace, who played college basketball at Cal, averaged 22.8 points, 6 rebounds and 5.4 assists at the G League level before being called up.
-
With the Texas Legends last year, he shot 38.6 percent from 3 and averaged 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 50 games.
-
A two-way player for the Lakers this season, Caruso played for the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League last season, averaging 11.9 points, 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 steals in 50 games (46 starts).
-
Ultra-athletic point guard who was two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year while playing at Oregon State. Played in six games with Milwaukee during the 2016-17 season where he averaged 3.3 points, 2.2 assists and 2.0 rebounds.
-
Simmons (6-4, 170) appeared in 37 games (19 starts) and averaged 8.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 23.5 minutes last season as a freshman at the University of Arizona. The 19-year-old was named a 2015-16 McDonald’s All-American and the 2016 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Player of the Year as a senior at St. Francis High School in Alpharetta, Ga.
-
Henry earned a GATORADE Call-Up to the Memphis Grizzlies while at 2018 NBA G League Showcase. He averaged 15.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in the first 27 games of the season with the Oklahoma City Blue. Henry played college hoops at both Illinois and DePaul.
-
Jones, who went undrafted out of UNLV in 2016, participated in last season's slam-dunk championship during All-Star Weekend, losing to Glenn Robinson III in the finals. The player given the nickname "Airplane Mode" is known for his ferocious dunks.
-
Walton averaged 10.0 points, 3.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 20.5 minutes while shooting 46.9 percent (15-of-32) from the field, 50 percent (6-of-12) from three-point range and 66.7 percent (4-of-6) from the foul line in Summer League play. His 50 percent shooting from downtown tied for the third-highest during the Orlando Summer League with a minimum of 10 attempts.
-
Earned Call-Up to Grizzlies after All-Star season with Bakersfield last year; dynamic point guard who can both run the show and score.
-
The 7-0 center went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Duke, but made 21 appearances (one start) for the New York Knicks in 2016-17, averaging 1.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 8.1 minutes per game. Plumlee also played 15 games (all starts) with the Knicks’ G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, last season where he averaged 12.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest.
-
The No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA G League Draft, Brown played most of the 2016-17 season for the Erie Bayhawks, averaging 20.3 points and 5.4 rebounds in 24 games.
-
The 6-5, 196 lb. guard was a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves' 2017 Summer League team. A product of the University of Dayton, Cooke led the Flyers in both scoring (15.8) and rebounding (5.1) during his senior season, while being named to the Second Team All-Atlantic 10 and the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team.
-
The Oxford, North Carolina-native averaged 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in his senior year for the 2017 NCAA National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels.
-
Kornet, 7-1, 250 lbs., averaged 8.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks over 24.1 minutes in 128 games during his four-year career at Vanderbilt University. He holds the NCAA record for 3-pointers made by a 7-footer with 150, and is the Commodores’ all-time leading shot blocker with 210.
-
Dozier played for South Carolina and appeared in 70 games (64 starts) and averaged 10.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals in 24 minutes per game.
-
He appeared in 49 games (47 starts) and averaging 14.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 31.2 minutes per game. His rebounds led all qualifying rookie guards in the G League.
-
Artis played in 135 career games (98 starts) during four years at the University of Pittsburgh, averaging 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 27.6 minutes per game, while shooting 37.8 percent from 3-point range. He finished his career as one of only three players in Pitt history to record at least 1,600 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists.
-
A former Notre Dame star, Jackson showed a knack for scoring during his time with the Maine Red Claws, averaging 14.8 points 6.0 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game in 2016-17.
-
As one of the top G League players to start the year with the Wisconsin Herd, Young earned a GATORADE Call-Up to the Philadelphia 76ers, and made his debut with the G League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers, in Delaware's first game at 2018 NBA G League Showcase. Young was named the G League Performer of the Week after a 34.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 62.5 FG% week in November.
-
Spent rookie season with Wizards after leading Texas A&M to Round of 16 as a senior. Key part of RGV Vipers' 13-game winning streak; subsequently signed two-way contract with Suns in early December
-
Peters played college basketball at Valparaiso, where he was named the 2016-17 Horizon League Player of the Year, averaging 23.0 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
-
Since being picked in the 2014 draft, Wilcox holds G League averages of 16.9 points, and 3.8 rebounds per game, in 30 total games (19 starts).
-
Former Notre Dame standout; ranked second in NBA G League in rebounding in 2014-15 (12.4), including single-game league record of 29 on March 13, 2015 and earned rest-of-season Call-Up to Jazz. Last season, Cooley also spent some of his time playing with the German club MHP Risen Ludwigsburg, tallying 13.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in 37 games. He led his club team in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage (.569).
-
On July 29, 2017, Sampson signed to a two-way contract with Sacramento Kings and per terms of the deal will spend the 2017-18 season splitting time between the Kings and their G League affiliate, the Bighorns. Appeared in 147 NBA games over past two seasons with Sixers and Grizzlies after going undrafted in 2014; bouncy, defensive-minded combo forward. Sampson was named as an NBA G League All-Star 2017 with the Iowa Energy. He averaged 15.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg and 1.3 ap in 47 games (22 starts) with Iowa.
-
A Michigan State basketball alum, Costello spent last season with the Iowa Energy of the NBA G League, averaging 9.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 blocks in 25.3 minutes over 23 games (14 starts).
-
Hilliard appeared in 77 games for the Detroit Pistons over two seasons, totaling 3.6 points and 1.0 rebounds in about 10 minutes per game. He also played for the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit's affiliate team, posting averages of 24.4 points, and 4.9 rebounds, in 7.0 games.
-
In 2015-16, he averaged 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 31.9 minutes in 47 games for the Maine Red Claws and was second on the team with 84 made 3-pointers.
-
McCree earned a GATORADE Call-Up to the Utah Jazz after a strong start with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. McCree played college hoops at Louisiana Tech.
-
The Iowa State product earned a GATORADE Call-Up to the Utah Jazz after an impressive start to the season with the Santa Cruz Warriors.
-
As a junior, the 6-8, 200-lb. forward averaged 11.1 points and a team-leading 6.1 rebounds, while shooting .475 from the field and .391 from three-point range, helping Florida reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 2014.
-
Young, a 6-9, 235-lb. forward, went undrafted out of the University of Pittsburgh, where he averaged 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Third Team in both 2016 and 2017 and finished his collegiate career ranked seventh in school history in scoring (1,835).
