The NBA D-League Call-Up List: Week 1
Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
The Call-Up List is the power rankings of D-League prospects. Below is a list of 10 players who have either impressed the most in the opening week of the 2014-2015 season or have proved in the past that they could make a difference at the next level if given the chance. At some point this NBA season, a number of these players will receive a call-up. For the others, if they play their cards right they could get a knock on their door, too.
1) Seth Curry — Erie BayHawks
Season statistics: 24.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals per game on 46.2% FG and 43.8% 3PT
Curry is an enticing prospect because he can effectively play two positions. He was primarily a shooting guard at Duke, so he’s used to playing off the ball and spotting-up on the wings. In his rookie season with the Santa Cruz Warriors, he played point guard and proved that he can run an offense and thrive as a facilitator.
The Orlando Magic signed Curry to a training camp deal this offseason and traded for his D-League rights so that they could keep a close eye on him. He is the most NBA-ready D-League prospect. A call-up seems to be on the cards this season.
2) Earl Clark — Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Season statistics: 28.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 blocks, 1.0 steals per game on 44.4% FG and 38.5% 3PT
Clark is still finding his feet in Rio Grande Valley. He only converted on four of his 16 attempts from three-point range in his first two games and is shooting just 44.4 percent from the field on the season.
Nevertheless, even amidst all of that, Clark is leading the team in scoring and is doing all the little things that helped them get off to a 3-0 start. He broke out in a big way in their triple overtime win over the Bakersfield Jam on Tuesday night, pouring in 35 points and hitting a three-pointer with 0.9 second left in regulation to tie it up.
Expect more of that from Clark moving forward.
3) Manny Harris — Los Angeles D-Fenders
Season statistics: 28.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists per game on 46.3% FG and 35.7% 3PT
Like Earl Clark, Harris got off to an up-and-down start this season. He scored a team-high 28 points in the Los Angeles D-Fenders’ season-opener, but was held to just 14 points on 5-for-17 shooting a few nights later against the Texas Legends. On Thursday, though, he torched the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the form of 43 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Harris set the league ablaze last season. He is one of the most versatile scorers in the D-League and could help an NBA team that is in need of a scoring punch off the bench.
4) Hassan Whiteside — Iowa Energy
Season statistics: 21.0 points, 15.5 rebounds, 6.0 blocks per game on 82.6% FG
Whiteside was a man amongst boys in his season debut. In 35 minutes, he scored 30 points on 15-for-18 shooting, grabbed 22 rebounds, and blocked eight shots. He wasn’t quite as dominant the next night (12 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks) but he still did enough for the Iowa Energy to dismantle the Santa Cruz Warriors on the road, pushing their season record to 2-0.
Through the first week of the season, Whiteside has been the best center in the D-League. It’s that simple.
Note: Whiteside received a call-up from the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
5) Peyton Siva — Erie BayHawks
Season statistics: 14.5 points, 12.0 assists, 6.0 rebounds per game on 54.5% FG and 20.0% 3PT
Seth Curry runs the show in Erie for now but Peyton Siva has complimented him perfectly in the backcourt. With Curry being the go-to scorer, Siva can focus on being a facilitator for the BayHawks, which is a role he has embraced thus far. Through the BayHawks’ first two games, Siva is leading the D-League in assists per game. He has given them a nice scoring option, too, with averages of 14.5 points per game on 54.5 percent shooting from the floor.
6) James Michael McAdoo — Santa Cruz Warriors
Season statistics: 22.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.0 blocks, 2.5 steals per game on 53.8% FG
McAdoo flaunted his potential in his three years at the University of North Carolina. Had he left after his freshman year, he would’ve likely been a first-round pick. But after two underwhelming seasons where he was unable to put all the pieces of the puzzle together, he failed to hear his name called in this year’s draft.
Now in the D-League, McAdoo is hoping to prove why he deserves a chance in the NBA, and he’s off to a very good start. He dominated on both ends of the floor in the Warriors’ opening two games, scoring at a high rate on one end and protecting the rim on the other. If he’s able to continue to play efficiently, he’ll shrug off the concerns that arose during his sophomore and junior years with the Tar Heels.
7) Kevin Murphy — Idaho Stampede
Season statistics: 13.0 points, 4.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds on 29.2% FG and 9.1% 3PT
Murphy has gotten off to a rough start this season but he’s right up there with the best wing scorers in the D-League.
Last season, Murphy had the luxury of playing alongside two of the best guards in the league in Pierre Jackson and Dee Bost. This season, with neither of the two returning, Murphy is expected to carry the Stampede all by his lonesome. This could very well just be an adjustment period for two-guard. He was incredibly efficient last season, giving weight to the belief that he’s still getting acclimated to his new role.
Once Murphy regains his shooting touch, he’ll shoot up the rankings.
8) Brady Heslip — Reno Bighorns
Season statistics: 39.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals per game on 51.1% FG and 55.6% 3PT
Heslip’s numbers through the Reno Bighorns’ first two games are simply outrageous. In 54 total minutes, he has scored 78 points on 24-for-47 shooting from the field and 20-for-36 from three-point range. Just like how Troy Daniels thrived in the Rio Grande Valley Vipers’ shot happy system last year, Heslip is doing the same in Reno.
There’s no doubt NBA teams have taken notice of the shooting exhibition Heslip has put on thus far. However, the degree to which he can sustain his hot shooting as the season progresses remains to be seen. He’ll also have to prove that he can do more than just shoot to make an impact at the next level.
9) Renaldo Balkman — Texas Legends
Season statistics: 22.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 1.0 steals per game on 60.7% FG and 85.7% 3PT
Balkman has fit in perfectly as a stretch four for the Texas Legends in the early goings of the season. In their first two games, he has thrived as a pick-and-pop option by being able to hit threes at a high rate and put the ball on the floor when defenders close out on him. He has also been a difference maker on defense.
Balkman signed a contract with the Dallas Mavericks and was waived prior to the 2014-2015 NBA season. He’s still on the NBA radar and is looking to score a guaranteed deal after bouncing around overseas for a couple of years.
10) Damien Wilkins — Iowa Energy
Season statistics: 31.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.5 steals per game on 55.0% FG and 28.6% 3PT
Wilkins, a nine-year NBA veteran, finds himself in the D-League after having spent the last two seasons in China and Puerto Rico. In the Energy’s first two games, he certainly looked like someone who is ready for another stint in the big leagues.
Wilkins has done it all for the Energy thus far, scoring at a high rate, getting his teammates involved and being disruptive on the defensive end. The final tick in the box will be if he can develop into a reliable three-point shooter.