NBA D-League Top 50: Players 40-31
Upside & Motor continues our deep dive into the top 50 D-League players from the 2015-16 season with ranks 40-31. To check out players 50-41 click here.
The criteria to be eligible for the list was that a player had to play at least 20 games in the NBADL last year and NBA assignees were not eligible. However, some NBA assignees (Jarnell Stokes for example) ended up being waived and signed with the league, so they will be eligible.
40. Josh Magette, Los Angeles D-Fenders, PG
2015-16 Stats: 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 9.2 assists
2016-17 Team: Unsigned Free Agent
The Los Angeles D-Fenders were stacked with talent to start the season last year. The finished the regular season at 27-23 and then got hot with a push to the D-League Championship series where they were bested by Sioux Falls. Magette was the captain of the ship the entire season and without his stellar playmaking for teammates on offense, the team surely would have been worse off.
Magette led the league in APG (9.2), SPG (2.4) and Ast% at a ridiculous 32.8 percent! So why isn’t he higher on the list? His shooting really kept him in this league, rather than earning a call up last year. He did play most of the season with a hand injury which certainly affected his shooting. He finished the year at 39 percent from the field and only 32.7 percent from 3-point range. As a 6-1, 160 pound point guard who does not possess elite quickness, you simply have to land better efficiency to earn an NBA spot. Magette is a very good floor general and will find a place on a quality team overseas if he does end up in training camp somewhere.
39. Phil Pressey, Idaho Stampede, PG
2015-16 Stats: 13.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists
2016-17 Team: Golden State Warriors
Pressey was the first call up of the season last year earning a spot with the 76ers. He was let go in December, then earned two 10-day contracts with the Phoenix Suns before finishing the season in Idaho. The Stampede have now moved and become the Salt Lake City Stars and just recently traded Pressey’s D-League rights to the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Pressey was a steady hand for the woeful Stampede last year. He probes the defense at the right times, finds open teammates consistently and is a pest with his tenacious on-ball defense. Pressey is only 6-0, 175 pounds but he plays stronger than that, and is often able to use his diminutive size to his advantage getting into the lane. The issue is he only finished 55 percent of his attempts in the restricted area and his 3-point percentage was just 33.3 percent (150 attempts). Pressey is in camp with the Golden State Warriors and could likely be a returning player for Santa Cruz to start the season.
38. Jaron Johnson, RGV Vipers, SG
2015-16 Stats: 18.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists
2016-17 Team: Perth Wildcats (Australia)
Johnson came to the Vipers two seasons ago via one of their open tryouts and what a gem he turned out to be. Now 24-years-old, he’s off to Australia to team up with another NBADL alum in Casey Prather to defend Perth’s title from last season.
Johnson blossomed into one of the premier scoring wings in the league last year as his average ballooned to 18.2 points over the 50-game season. At 6-6 he’s got good size for the wing position and while he’s not a sniper from outside (34.9 percent on 5.8 attempts per game) he’s a capable outside threat. He’s not extremely adept on the defensive end, but does not hurt the team in that area either. Johnson does have explosive, albeit selective, athleticism which he showed off many times with huge dunks last season.
37. Rodney McGruder, Sioux Falls Skyforce, SG
2015-16 Stats: 15.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists
2016-17 Team: Miami Heat
This was McGruder’s second full season in the D-League, but his first as a full-time starter and he took full advantage. McGruder was one of the elite two-way wings in the league and while his offense took off this year, it’s still his ferocious defense that has become his calling card. He shot almost 40 percent (38.4 on 5.0 attempts per game) from 3-point land this year and was a catch-and-shoot specialist with 89 of his 93 3PM coming off the catch.
MORE: Rodney McGruder flying under the radar for Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls was the best defensive team in the league and while DeAndre Liggins took home Defensive POY, McGruder was just as worthy for that title. He had the 9th best DefRtg (98.8) in the league and posted the 4th best NetRtg (11.9) to boot.
In their championship run McGruder became the go-to scorer notching 22.7 points per game on almost 51 percent shooting over seven games.
36. Xavier Silas, Bakersfield Jam, SG
2015-16 Stats: 18.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists
2016-17 Team: Unsigned Free Agent
The Jam really underachieved when you look at their talent from last season with Askia Booker, Xavier Munford, Terrico White, Derek Cooke and this man Xavier Silas. They finished at 22-28 and at times it seemed like everyone wanted to be the man and no one wanted to set their teammates up for success.
Silas was sometimes guilty of this as well, but his role was to nail outside shots and he did that extremely well. He finished shooting 39 percent (6.7 attempts per game) from outside and notched the 4th highest percentage for players who took at least 6.5 threes nightly. At 6-5 he can get his shot off over most foes and he’s an amazing catch-and-shoot option, especially from the corners. He hit almost 58 percent (34/59) on those shots last year compared to only 30 percent (37/123) from above the break.
35. James Ennis, Iowa Energy, SF
2015-16 Stats: 18.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists
2016-17 Team: Memphis Grizzlies
Ennis was traded to Memphis last season in November and then waived in early March. He spent most of the season as an NBA assignee but signed with the league after being waived. He played 24 games for Iowa and really showed off his ability to score and defend at high levels.
After being waived his scoring jumped to 22.1 points on almost 50 percent shooting before being called up by New Orleans. His outside shooting is still inconsistent, but he’s adept at attacking the rim and finishing in the restricted area (67.9 percent). His size at 6-7 and lateral foot speed allow him to guard positions 1-3 very well, and his quick hands make up for his lack of overall quickness. Ennis signed a deal to return to Memphis and has a two-year guaranteed deal.
34. C.J. Fair, Fort Wayne Mad Ants, SF
2015-16 Stats: 16.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists
2016-17 Team: Limoges CSP (France)
Fort Wayne had a rough season going 20-30 last year, and Fair is their only player to make the list. He played all 50 games for the Mad Ants and was one of their only consistent offensive players as well. They finished in the bottom five of nearly every offensive category, but the 6-8 Fair helped anchor them night in and night out.
Fair is a lefty who had ample size at the small forward position. He shot 35.5 percent from outside (54/154), but shot over 40 percent (43/101) from above the break. He really struggled from the corners making only 21.5 percent of those attempts, yikes. He’s best when attacking the paint and while he’s only 220 pounds he did well to maneuver his body around defenders for his finishes. Now, he heads off to France to continue his career.
33. Justin Harper, Los Angeles D-Fenders, PF
2015-16 Stats: 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists
2016-17 Team: Unsigned Free Agent
Harper quietly had one of the better seasons in the D-League. At 6-10, he’s a stretch 4 who can provide outside shooting and even earned two 10-day contracts from the Detroit Pistons last year before being let go.
Harper prefers to play on the perimeter which explains his low (0.7 per game) block output, but his ability to help a team’s spacing is where his true value lies. He shot just over 39 percent (5.4 attempts) from 3-point range and made 13 of his 21 corner threes as well. He’s still just 27 years old so his NBA potential is still there and I would not be surprised to see him pop into a camp last minute.
32. Ryan Gomes, Los Angeles D-Fenders, SF
2015-16 Stats: 18.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists
2016-17 Team: Assistant Coach, Long Island Nets (retired)
Gomes comes in as the oldest player in the top 50 at 34, but with age comes experience, and he showed a wealth of that this past season. Not only did he put up solid numbers, but he seemingly always made the right reads on both offense and defense for the D-Fenders.
At 6-7 he mostly defended opposing 3s and 4s, and constantly created matchup problems on the other end with his offensive — mainly shooting — abilities. He also made plays for his teammates with an impressive Ast% of 15.4 and he topped off his final pro season with a TS% of 58.9 (league average is 53.9). Now he will continue his career in the coaching ranks for the expansion Long Island Nets as part of Brooklyn’s organization.
31. David Stockton, Reno Bighorns, PG
2015-16 Stats: 17.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists
2016-17 Team: KK Cedevita (Croatia)
After watching Stockton for two years in the D-League one thing seems clear — he wasn’t allowed to play to his true potential at Gonzaga. He’s shown the ability to lead his team, hit open shots, play pesky defense and get feisty when need be. At 5-11, 165 pounds he’s small in stature but the pro guard really flourished in the run-and-gun style Reno rolled out these last two years.
MORE: Underappreciated point guards in the D-League
Stockton knocked down 35 percent (5.2 attempts) of his 3-pointers last season, but his size was a bit of a problem with 30 jump shots getting blocked as well (almost 10 percent of his jump shots). Where he excels is leading his team and he was 3rd in Ast% (32.1), 6th in Ast/TO (2.82) and 4th in APG (7.2). Now he’s off to Croatia to team up with another NBADL alum in Scotty Hopson.