Fansided

NBA D-League Preview: New crop of players in Santa Cruz

By Chris Reichert

Oct 14, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Phil Pressey (26) and Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) battle for the ball in overtime at the Pepsi Center. The Warriors won 129-128. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 14, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Phil Pressey (26) and Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) battle for the ball in overtime at the Pepsi Center. The Warriors won 129-128. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Over the next couple of weeks, The Step Back will examine each of the 22 NBA D-League teams and bring bringing you an in-depth look at their roster as well as any potential storylines to watch for. Teams can retain up to 12 players, while only 10 will be active for games. This is your first look at the prospects to watch out for all season.

Roster Breakdown

Affiliates: Scott Wood, Elgin Cook, Cameron Jones and Chris Obekpa
Returners: Phil Pressey, Mychel Thompson and Terrence Drisdom
Draftees: Jaleel Roberts, Keith Steffeck and Alex Hamilton (trade)
Tryouts: Dennis Clifford and Ferrakohn Hall
Potential NBA Assignees: James McAdoo, Kevon Looney and Patrick McCaw

The Warriors’ diminutive maestro

Phil Pressey will now only be known as “the maestro” and to call him by any other name would frankly be an insult. Pressey is a 5-foot-11, lightning-quick point guard who can change the complexion of a game when he’s running on all cylinders. He’s spent some time in the NBA each of the last three seasons accumulating 148 games but just cannot seem to find the right spot.

In Surf City, Pressey will be tasked with running the offense, creating havoc with his penetration and disturbing opposing guards to the point where they give that “hey I’m tired” nod to their coach to take a breather. He’s one of the better passers in the entire league and with shooters like Scott Wood and Mychel Thompson on the wings, and slashers like Cam Jones and Alex Hamilton cutting, it’s going to be a pick your poison for defenses.

READ MORE: The NAZ Suns will rely heavily on their returning players

While Pressey can be an immaculate distributor, at times he can be a little careless with the ball as evidenced by his 21.95 turnover rate last season with Idaho. His assist rate was a stellar 28.79, but coach Casey Hill will definitely want Pressey to make more quality decisions at this point in his career. Expect a quick pace with Pressey flying up and down the court with the ball in his hands. He’s not a consistent shooter at this point, but his quickness makes up for what he lacks on the outside.

Veterans manning the wings

The Warriors are blessed this season with a mix of new blood and second-chance returners. Their main wing options are going to be Scott Wood and Cam Jones and each brings a unique skillset to their new team.

Wood is 26-years-old and after going undrafted back in 2013, he’s spent the first three seasons of his pro career in Spain’s ACB league — one of the premier leagues in the world. He’s making his D-League debut as a seasoned, deadly sniper from the perimeter, which will help the team tremendously in terms of spacing. In the ACB he knocked down 242-of-600 3-point attempts for a stellar 40 percent clip from distance.

Jones is a 27-year-old scorer extraordinaire who brings a different style of attack. Jones is entering his sixth year as a pro having already spent three seasons in the D-League and the last two overseas — one in Russia and one in Israel. The knock on Jones previously as a 6-foot-4 guard was his lack of consistency from outside. He attacks the rim very well, finishes great around the basket (even though he largely plays below the rim), and he’s got an innate ability to find open pockets off the ball. If he can add  the 3-pointer as a new wrinkle, he’ll be a deadly scoring option.

The X-Factor in the paint

The Warriors had the second overall pick in this year’s D-League draft and surprised a lot of people by selecting 7-footer, Jaleel Roberts. Roberts was expected to be a first round pick due to his size and skill, but nobody thought he would go No. 2. Now, the 24-year-old giant will be tasked with proving Santa Cruz brass right, while trying to maintain the momentum he’s built over the summer.

Next: SLC Stars have abundance of talent on the wings

Roberts spent his rookie season in Australia’s second division league where he averaged around eight points and six rebounds per contest. The Bucks saw something in him and signed him for training camp this season and although he didn’t make the roster, the experience had to be a boon for him moving forward. Roberts is honestly still a work in progress at this point, but he has improved every single season.

The Warriors lacked a defensive anchor and rim runner last year and Roberts could definitely fill that void, continue to develop his offensive skills and prove he can be a viable rebounding, rim protecting option at this level.

Home/NBA