Fansided

D-League Faces, Far Away Places: Primer

By Chris Reichert

Apr 15, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Arinze Onuaku (50) and Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (34) watch the ball in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 15, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Arinze Onuaku (50) and Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (34) watch the ball in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

One of the difficult things about covering the D-League is most of the stars from each season end up elsewhere the following year. The nature of the league lends itself to players snagging NBA deals (if they’re lucky) or landing more lucrative contracts overseas. It’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

This past offseason was no different — upwards of 150 players who were on a D-League contract in 2014-15 have since signed somewhere else. So, roughly 40 percent of the of the league is gone, which is bananas.

While I’m sad that I won’t be able to watch most of these players on a nightly basis, I have devised an evil plan (OK, it’s not evil) to bring you updates on their whereabouts and how they fare in their new surroundings. You will likely see the guys in the NBA regularly, so this will focus on the international leagues instead.

Enter: D-League Faces, Far Away Places.

I’ll be following up on these players and bringing you posts based on either their previous team in the D-League and/or the country they’re now playing in. For example, here’s a quick snapshot of where players from last season ended up signing:

WorldMap
WorldMap /

Clearly, the United States had the most because of the NBA, however, it’s important to mention that 48 of the D-League prospects who signed across the pond ended up in places that are widely considered top-5 international leagues.

The talent level in the D-League is undeniable and it’s clear that international clubs are constantly on the lookout for imports who can help their clubs.

Here’s another cool look at which NBA teams have employed the most D-League players from the 2014-15 season. These overall numbers will dwindle once training camps cuts are made, but there’s no denying the D-League has a clear and lasting imprint on the NBA.

NBAGraph
NBAGraph /

Finally, here’s a quick look at how the individual D-League teams fared when it came to showcasing their players and helping them earn bigger and better deals. The Knicks were an expansion team last season, which explains their lack of movement. The Blue took home the trophy for player movement with 11 players signing elsewhere this offseason — rather incredible when you factor that they had a total of 17 players on their roster throughout the season.

NBADLBreakdown
NBADLBreakdown /

That’s all for now, but be on the lookout for D-League Faces, Far Away Places once the international leagues get fully underway!

Special thanks to Matt D’Anna (@hoop_nerd) for the graphics used in this piece.

Home/NBA