Second edition of some watchlist worthy players. Any feedback on if these players are too deep-cut or too common is appreciated, or if NCAA, international, or NBA players are the preferred focus. Also on the tradeoff between number of players and depth of information. Current plan is to kind of jump around but hopefully have some sort of theme each time. I’m also working on a weekly piece around top performers - need to get some technical details sorted but hopefully can get one up soon.
This edition will focus on players who have spent some time in the G League this year and last, but could be in line for more time later this season or next year.
Bryce McGowens - Charlotte Hornets - G - $0 avg / 0% rostered
I’ve been a fan of McGowens going back to his season at Nebraska, though the tall, thin wing archetype is one that I am prone to like more than I maybe should. He didn’t shoot the ball well from 3 at all in college, but had several indicators that he’d improve with time with a high free throw percentage and low percentage of assisted makes on two point jumpers. It was a bit concerning when he still struggled from beyond the arc in the G League last season, but the Hornets saw enough to promote him from a two-way contract to a full NBA deal.
He’s worked his way into a role this season for the Hornets, playing 17 minutes per game and appearing in 20 of their 25 games. His percentages have improved inside and beyond the arc and is well-positioned to carve out an even bigger role later this season and next season. It seems likely that Gordon Hayward and Miles Bridges are no longer on the team in 2024-25, and while both are bigger than McGowens, he could be the first wing off the bench behind Brandon Miller and Terry Rozier. Cody Martin returning to health could hurt his chances there, but Martin and Miller are both big enough to shift down the position spectrum at times. It’s also worth noting that McGowens is only 2 weeks older than Brandon Miller.
Brice Sensabaugh - Utah Jazz - F - $1.63 avg / 42% rostered
Brice has only gotten into one NBA thus far despite being a first round pick and on a sub-.500 team. However, he’s getting a lot more reps in the G League when at the NBA level he’s stuck behind other wings and two other first round picks on a team with no true point guard. He seems to be transitioning from playing a stretch 4 role at Ohio State to being more of a true wing. In college he had a very high 34% usage and managed a solid 58.8% true shooting, but barely managed an assist per game and had more turnovers than assists.
So far in the G League in about half the minutes he played in college, Sensabaugh has a true shooting around 60% while lowering his usage to 25% and upping his assists considerably, though he is turning the ball over almost as much. He needed a lot of work defensively coming out of school, and while that’s hard to measure from the outside, the additional minutes should help a lot. He could force his way into a rotation spot next season as Kelly Olynyk, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Simone Fontecchio could all be in different environs by then.
Leonard Miller - Minnesota Timberwolves - F - $1.91 avg / 58% rostered
One of my favorites from the 2023 NBA Draft after he played extremely well for a 19 year old in the G League, particularly after Scoot Henderson got shut down, Miller was picked early in the 2nd round by Minnesota. He’s a bit stuck at the moment behind KAT, Gobert, Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels, and Kyle Anderson, and is in a similar spot to Josh Minott, a 2022 2nd round pick. He’s a bit of a point forward type, a lefty with a herky jerky style who has a wide range of possible outcomes.
In the G League this season with the Iowa Wolves, he’s made 13 of 14 free throws after shooting 79% from the line last year, though the three point percentage still hovering around 30%. The shooting will be the swing skill for sure, and while his rebounding has gone down this year, he’s playing more next to other solid rebounders like Luka Garza and Minott. Depending on how he and Minott progress, along with how the Wolves handle their tax situation next offseason, Miller could be in a good spot next season.
GG Jackson - Memphis Grizzlies - F - $3.14 avg / 37% rostered
A former top prospect in high school, Jackson had a rocky one and done season on a bad South Carolina team before being picked in the second round by Memphis and signing a two-way deal. I know at least one public draft scout still had Jackson rated as a lotto level player last year despite his struggles - he’s 6’9", skilled with the ball, and was extremely young for his draft class having just turned 19 on December 17th. It’s perhaps telling that despite all the injuries Memphis has dealt with, Jackson has only played 18 minutes in the NBA so far. He was always a project pick.
However, there are signs of progress as he’s nearly equaled his abysmal assist total last year in half the minutes and with less than half the turnovers as well as upping his two point percentage and free throw percentages so far. The three point percentage is still low, but a look at highlights shows a decent number of his attempts are self-created and not off the catch. It’s not too hard to see him fitting into the wing role the Grizzlies have tried so hard to fill with other recent draft picks, though he still has a ways to go. Like Sensabaugh, he needs a lot of work on defense. I could see him taking a similar path to McGowens by earning a full deal late in the season or during the offseason and finding more minutes next season.
Dalen Terry - Chicago Bulls - F - $0 avg / 0% rostered
The Bulls’ 2022 first round pick, Terry is playing about the same amount of minutes this season as last for the NBA club. He’s playing well in the G League with better shooting numbers than in the NBA - I haven’t gone back and looked, but I think I remember his release in college being on the slower side, which would help explain the drop when he jumps up a level. He’s got good size, has an assist to turnover ratio over 2 in the G League, and gets a solid amount of steals with his length and anticipation.
He could jump into more minutes if the Bulls move any of Lavine, Caruso, and Derozan. Terry has more ballhandling chops than Julian Phillips, who is another young Bull wing, but it could be a head to head matchup between them for who wins more minutes down the road.
Jett Howard - Orlando Magic - F - $2.4 avg / 79% rostered
Howard was a bit of a surprise pick at #11 overall for the Magic, who are perhaps the surprise team of the NBA season so far, and their success has relegated him to mostly playing in the G League. He’s gotten shots up with the Osceola Magic, but hasn’t really been effective with a true shooting percentage of only 51.5%. He remains an egregiously bad rebounder, particularly for someone his size. He’s more of a wait and see prospect as the Magic could consolidate other players and open up minutes, though he isn’t forcing their hand that way right now. In my opinion he’s droppable, especially above $1.