NBA D-League Top 50: Players 10-1
Well, here we are, the end of the road for the 2015-16 D-League season. This will put the final kibosh on last year, while simultaneously propelling us forward to the 2016-17 campaign.
The NBA D-League is now 22 teams strong and morphing into a traditional minor league system before our very eyes. Soon, there will be talks of yesteryear when the D-League was wrought with unknown prospects for the taking. Soon, the league as we know it will cease to exist and a new dynamic beast will replace it on the totem pole. Soon…
If you missed previous rankings in the D-League Top 50 we got you covered.
MORE: Ranks 50-41
MORE: Ranks 40-31
MORE: Ranks 30-21
MORE: Ranks 20-11
Today, we examine the top 10 players from the 2015-16 season and I would venture to say every one of these players (save for maybe one) are known commodities by the general NBA fan. And if not, here’s your chance to get to know them.
10. Vander Blue, Los Angeles D-Fenders, PG/SG
2015-16 Stats: 26.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists
2016-17 Team: Unsigned Free Agent
Vander Blue is a scoring machine, plainly put. At 6-4, he wheels and deals in the paint with regularity, attacking with one goal in mind — score. Sometimes that’s a finish at the basket, but more often than not, it’s a trip to the charity stripe where Blue set the D-League single season record making 349-of-431 (81.0 percent) attempts this season. The disparity was so great, that Blue made more free throws than the second place person (Tu Holloway) even attempted!
The wiry 24-year-old is a scoring guard, but not really a shooter and that’s his main downfall. He knocked down 33.3 percent from outside this season and his mechanics aren’t the best. While he consistently gets quality penetration, he doesn’t really make plays for others. For Blue to make it at the next level, he needs to work on making his teammates better and improving his meager jump shot. Blue failed to earn an NBA call up last season despite being 2nd in the league in scoring, largely due to his one dimensional skill-set at this point in his career.
9. Ricky Ledo, Reno Bighorns, SG/SF
2015-16 Stats: 21.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists
2016-17 Team: Yesilgiresun (Turkey)
The legend of Ricky Ledo lives on! Ledo has been swooned over for years and while his NBA potential has yet to be realized, he continues to hone his talents and become a better player. Ledo has played 26 or more games in three straight seasons in the D-League, but he really did improve substantially this past season in Reno. Not only did his scoring go up, but his efficiency did as well.
The crux of his development was his lack of shooting. At 6-7, he’s always had size over his opponents but two years ago only hit 29 percent of his 3-pointers. That number rose to 39.5 percent (6.4 attempts) as he was a true threat from outside for the Bighorns. Ledo played all 50 games and though he did not earn a call up, his improvements were noticed overseas and he will spend 2016-17 in one of the top leagues in the world — the Turkish TBL.
8. Jordan McRae, Delaware 87ers, PG/SG
2015-16 Stats: 23.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists
2016-17 Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
McRae was part of the best guard tandem in the league last season between he and Sean Kilpatrick. The problem in Delaware certainly was not the offense; they quite simply just did not play a lick of defense. McRae’s 6-6 frame and long arms allowed him to probe the defense and finish over the top of many of his defenders as well. His defense is merely average, but his allure is really on the offensive end.
He’s a lengthy point guard who can also play off-the-ball as well. He can guard positions 1-3 and while his shooting isn’t up to snub (31.8 percent from deep), he still managed to shoot 46 percent from the field and get to the free throw line almost seven times per game. After two 10-day stints with Phoenix, McRae was waived and almost immediately found a home in Cleveland where he will be to start this season. If he can add some weight and shore up his jump shot, the 25-year-old could be around the NBA for a while.
7. Jeff Ayres, Los Angeles D-Fenders, C
2015-16 Stats: 16.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks
2016-17 Team: CSKA Moscow (Russia)
Ayres is the old man on this list coming in at a spry 29-years-old. The 6-10 power forward was the No. 1 overall pick in the D-League Draft last season and spent most of the year with Idaho before being traded to Los Angeles. He only played two games in L.A. before the Clippers added him to their roster in mid-March allowing him to finish the NBA season there.
At this point in his career, teams know exactly what to expect from Ayres. He’s a solid rebounder, stout defender on-the-ball, he can hit the mid-range shot, and he will rarely make mistakes. He could still be a very solid role player in The Association, but with no teams biting he took his talents to Russian powerhouse CSKA Moscow for 2016-17.
6. Vince Hunter, Reno Bighorns, PF
2015-16 Stats: 21.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.5 blocks
2016-17 Team: Chicago Bulls
Hunter was an extraordinary surprise in Reno last year. As a rookie from UTEP, there really wasn’t much hype at all for him after the Kings made him an affiliate player; hell Marshall Henderson garnered much more attention and he didn’t last half the season. Hunter was king of the paint and snagged seemingly every rebound within arms reach. He finished as the only player to average 20/10 last year and had the 5th highest +/- (for players with at least 20 games) at 7.0.
When he left for Panathinakos mid-season, Reno’s championship aspirations left with him as the void was simply too large to fill. This 22-year-old, 6-10, uber athletic, power forward lived in the paint with 233 of his 261 made FGs coming within 5-feet! Clearly he has room to develop and add a mid-range jump shot. That will be needed, but for now he’s exemplary as a roll man in the pick-and-roll, and as a rim-runner. He’s in training camp with the Chicago Bulls and with only 13 guaranteed contracts on their docket, he has an outside chance at making their opening night roster.
5. Erick Green, Reno Bighorns, SG
2015-16 Stats: 25.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists
2016-17 Team: Olympiacos (Greece)
Green was one of the most potent wings in the entire league during the 2015-16 campaign. He earned two 10-day contracts with the Utah Jazz before returning to Reno to finish out the season. At 6-3, Green falls in the dreaded tweener category — is he a point guard or a shooting guard? In the positionless NBA world it shouldn’t really matter, but he might have garnered more NBA buzz had he played the lead guard for Reno.
While he wasn’t the point guard, he had the ball in his hands a lot with a 23.6 usage rate, and while shooting was his forte he also shared the wealth with an assist rate of 16.2. Green shot 65 percent in the restricted area, showing off his ability to finish despite his frame. His true shooting percentage of 64.8 is pretty unreal considering league average is around 10 percentage points lower than that. Without an NBA contract in toe, Green is playing for well-known Greek club Olympiacos this season.
4. Sean Kilpatrick, Delaware 87ers, SG
2015-16 Stats: 26.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists
2016-17 Team: Brooklyn Nets
Sean Kilpatrick is a baaaaaaad man. His stocky 6-4, 215 pound frame is ideal for knocking defenders off balance and pulling up for his pretty jumper. Kilpatrick was solely focused on showing off his scoring and shooting prowess while in Delaware, and he certainly fulfilled that goal. He led the league in scoring at 26.4 points a night while hitting a blistering 42.6 percent of his 7.2 3-point attempts nightly.
Kilpatrick earned a call up with the Nuggets, but even after playing well they let him go. He was swooped up by the Brooklyn Nets and ended up being an integral scoring threat off the bench for them down the stretch. He finished averaging 13.8 points in just 23.8 minutes a night and seems to have found his niche in The Association as a microwave off the pine. The Nets kept him around, so the 26-year-old will continue to produce for the rebuilding franchise.
3. Ronald Roberts Jr., Raptors 905, PF
2015-16 Stats: 18.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, 1.5 blocks
2016-17 Team: Tofas (Turkey)
Though he only stands 6-8, 220 pounds Roberts often looked larger than life for the 905 last season. The extremely athletic forward also added a mid-range (making 15-of-43) wrinkle to his game, which really opened up the rest of his repertoire. Roberts bulked up a bit and showed off a versatile hook shot over either shoulder, and this added weight also allowed him to defend better.
While not an elite rim protector, he displayed the ability and knack for catching opponents off guard with huge blocks. I liken Roberts to a poor man’s Paul Millsap, especially if he can continue to improve his range and jump shot consistency. He has the fluidity of movement to attack in the triple threat, beat opponents on the fastbreak and ultimately finish above the rim like few people his size. Roberts will likely see previously mentioned Ledo, as he signed with Tofas in the Turkish TBL also.
2. Jarnell Stokes, Sioux Falls Skyforce, PF
2015-16 Stats: 20.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists
2016-17 Team: Denver Nuggets
Jarnell Stokes is a man’s man. Stokes is 6-8, 250 pounds and uses all that muscle to his advantage down in the paint. Add in his elite — like NBA-level — footwork, and the man rarely met a situation he couldn’t overcome last season with Sioux Falls. His true shooting percentage of 68.0 was tops in the league for players with a usage rate of 20 or more as he relentlessly pounded the paint.
Stokes shot a silly 79.7 percent from inside the restricted area (league average was 62.6) and showed the ability to stretch out to the mid-range — making 30-of-56 attempts — also. If there’s one thing holding Stokes out of the NBA, it’s his lack of stretching the floor to the 3-point line and his inability to protect the paint. Most undersized 4s in the NBA have at least one of those two specialties and Stokes does not, although he did make 4-of-9 outside shots last year. He’s only 22-years-old so he’s still improving and will definitely be an NBA player in the near future.
1.Elliot Williams, Santa Cruz Warriors, PG
2015-16 Stats: 28.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists
2016-17 Team: Golden State Warriors
These rankings were really, really meticulous and difficult to put together, but this choice was simple. Williams was head and shoulders above everyone else last year. He played so well across the board that he only played 21 games before being snatched up by Panathinaikos. He scored, he found open teammates, he pushed tempo, he defended, and he did it all with an ease which screamed, “Why am I here?!” And none of us knew.
Williams is now 27-years-old with time in Greece, the D-League, Portland, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Utah, Memphis and now Golden State. Now, it’s likely going to come down to him and JaVale McGee for the remaining spot on the Warriors’ roster to start the year. The chips are likely stacked against Williams with all the ball-handlers they currently employ, but here’s to hoping I’m wrong. He’s put in the work, improved his all-around game, and he deserves to make an NBA roster.