The NBA D-League is centered around increased opportunity and this week the league’s main event takes place in Mississauga, Ontario. The 2017 D-League Showcase features players from each of the league’s 22 teams in one gym for scouts from the NBA, and all over the world, to peruse and hope to pluck their diamond in the rough.
There were a total of six NBA call ups during the Showcase over the past two seasons combined. This year the D-League is stacked with talent, and there are open NBA roster spots to be won. Last year Elliot Williams played well enough to earn a deal during the event and two years ago James McAdoo and JaMychal Green (both are still in the NBA) were recipients of call ups during the Showcase as well.
Let’s focus on players who are trending upward heading into this lottery week. The Step Back has tagged the week of the Showcase as “lottery week” due to the high payouts that come with an NBA call up. Remember, the max a player can make in the D-League is $26,000 and 10-day contracts this season range from $32,000 – $91,000 based on tenure. Doubling one’s salary in 10 days? Yeah, that’s hitting the lottery.
READ MORE: D-League positional rankings v1.0
These will not necessarily be the best players in the league, but they are players who are hot right now and also have the talent to make an NBA roster, or at least get a 10-day audition.
Lamar Patterson, Reno Bighorns
Patterson is a 25-year-old, hard-nosed, two-way scrapper who is really blossoming offensively in Reno. Over his past 10 games he’s exploded to put up 24.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 46 percent overall and 41.4 percent (7.0 attempts) on 3-pointers. The improvement hitting 3s is a real key for Patterson if he wants another shot at the NBA level. He’s been able to show off his playmaking abilities with Reno entrusting him with the ball in his hands more often than not.
The 6-foot-5 wing played in Turkey his rookie year, with the Atlanta Hawks last year and now he’s playing his best basketball of the season at the most opportune time.
Johnny O’Bryant III, Northern Arizona Suns
After spending his first two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, it’s hard to fathom O’Bryant still being just 23-years-old. The 6-foot-9 forward is really coming into his own under the tutelage of coach Ty Ellis for the Suns. He’s averaging 17.5 points and 8.8 rebounds over 23 games this season but has really taken off over his last 10, averaging 20.8 points and 11.2 rebounds with seven double-doubles.
His recent play earned him D-League Performer of the Week honors and he looks to be getting more and more comfortable by the day in this league. He’s started to show off an outside shot as well knocking down 1.6 3-pointers per game at a 39 percent clip (over his last 10 games). The added 3 is nice, but if O’Bryant could just clean up his shot selection, his efficiency would be through the roof.
Wayne Selden, Iowa Energy
Many thought the athletic, 6-foot-5 wing out of Kansas would hear his name called on NBA Draft night, but that wasn’t the case and now Selden is fighting for his chance. Selden (just 22-years-old) was in training camp with the Memphis Grizzlies before being allocated to the Iowa Energy as one of their affiliate players. Selden possesses elite athleticism on the wing as he shows below when he embarrasses NBA assignee Rakeem Christmas.
Selden has been a consistent scoring threat, both attacking the basket and shooting the 3, for the Energy. Over his last 10 games he’s averaging 20.1 points and 4.6 rebounds while knocking down 41.5 percent (6.6 attempts) of his 3s. His real bugaboo right now is tunnel vision. Once he has the ball and he’s driving, he’s one dimensional because teammates basically don’t exist. That’s not to say he’s a selfish player, but he’s fixated on scoring and he would benefit from being a dual threat when he attacks the paint with his unyielding athleticism.
Briante Weber, Sioux Falls Skyforce
Weber has been the best player in the league thus far. Briante burst onto the scene last year with the Skyforce before earning NBA call ups to both Memphis and Miami. This offseason he was the last waiver for the Hear and now he’s torching the D-League to the tune of 15.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists with eight double-doubles and a league-leading four triple-doubles.
Weber is a dynamic, defensive juggernaut who can take over a game without putting points on the board. His Achilles heel is his lack of consistent outside shooting (or really shooting in general), but this season his 3-point percentage is up to 34.3 and over his last 10 games it’s even higher at 37.5 percent, on 3.2 attempts. He leads the league in steals at 3.2 per game and he’s a lock down defender with endless tenacity. Once Weber cleans up his jumper — he’s still only 24-years-old — he’s an NBA backup.
Next: What is the NBA D-League Showcase?
Eric Moreland, Canton Charge
The 25-year-old Moreland has endured dreadfully bad luck since being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Sacramento Kings in 2014. Now, the 6-foot-10 jumping bean is fully healthy and is terrorizing the glass where he gobbles up rebounds at a rate of 28.55 percent on the defensive end. He’s like a taller Gerald Wallace without the threat of an outside shot. He does all the little things a team needs and makes it look effortless.
Over his last 10 contests with Canton he’s averaging 13.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 56.4 percent from the field. Reports of international clubs trying to poach Moreland have already surfaced, but it would be dangerous to leave before earning a potential NBA call up during the Showcase. In his last game, Moreland notched 26 points and 18 rebounds, so he’s definitely generating some buzz heading into the marquee event of the year.