NBA D-League Showcase 2017: Day 2 recap
This week is the NBA D-League Showcase, a five-day event featuring all 22 D-league teams playing multiple games. The event, hosted in Mississauga, Ontario (home of the Raptors 905, Toronto’s affiliate), is a chance for NBA teams to scout potential talent and roster additions all in one place. It’s also an all-day basketball buffet.
You can find our daily recaps of the event here at The Step Back and check out the complete schedule to see what’s coming up. For more coverage of the NBA D-League Showcase, be sure to follow Ashley Docking on Twitter and Instagram.
Not going to lie to you, today I’m tired. Five games in one day is a grind. Speaking of grinding, I had a thought this morning. If your boss asked you to do the same job for an 80 percent pay cut, would you?
Much respect to the guys on the floor this week, hustling and chasing dreams.
Eight new teams in action today, four games on tap.
Windy City Bulls – 102 — Fort Wayne Mad Ants – 78: Take your win and go home
Thanks to the tournament schedule, the only two games for Windy City were back-to-back contests. Today they drew the second best team in the Eastern Conference, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Unlucky for them, right?
Not the case this time. A slow start for the Ants, who looked lethargic instead of angry, paved the way for the a Windy City win.
READ MORE: D-League Showcase Day 1 Recap
Fort Wayne’s offense went dry for nearly five minutes during the opening frame, no field goals. As a matter of fact, their offense clogged for 3+ minute spans on multiple occasions. This produced a 14-point first quarter, a low mark on the season and the team’s worst quarter since a nine-point third against Canton, Feb. 26, 2016.
Some credit to the Bulls of course, holding opponents to 30 percent from the floor doesn’t just happen by accident at this level. The Bulls’ roster has been in flux all season, and when guys like Spencer Dinwiddie are plucked by NBA teams (Brooklyn Nets) it effects things. Most notably it leaves minutes and touches for others, and this afternoon Alfonzo McKinnie was the beneficiary finishing with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
McKinnie has endured a long road. Injuries, being off the grid overseas, the usual. Windy City Head Coach, Nate Loenser told me Thursday, McKinnie personifies everything this league strives to be about.
“First of all I couldn’t be happier for him,” Loenser made a point to say, “I mean there are a lot of stories in the D-League, but he typifies what this league is about.” Loenser reiterated that “Al” is very coachable, has athleticism that is “unique and special” and has been one of the most consistent performers on their team.
Getting the majority of his opportunities inside, some more size and the ability to absorb contact a little bit more will help to get those and-one opportunities to fall, making him more dangerous as he gets better.
Fort Wayne started the season winning six games in a row, but haven’t strung together more than two since that point.
Sioux Falls Skyforce – 114 — Reno Bighorns – 105: Test the Assets
Prior to their game, I spoke with Reno head coach Darrick Martin about leaving the assignment players at home (more on this in a later post). They pointed out that’s exactly why the likes of Skal Labissiere and Georgios Papagiannis were recalled — it gives the affiliate guys like Isaiah Cousins and Lamar Patterson the opportunity to shine. What they do with the opportunity is up to them.
Cousins, who went to the Final Four with Oklahoma last season along side Buddy Hield, was aggressive and got into the paint. Being guarded by Briante Weber is always a good test, Weber never makes things easier.
Early in the third, Cousins blew by him on the baseline, but was unable to finish. He still had 14 points on 7-of-17 today, with 2 rebounds and an assist.
One thing I noticed about Cousins, he kept dribbling into traffic. That’s where his turnovers came from, and it could have been avoided if he pulled up or dished out of congestion. Martin acknowledged it’s an area they are working to develop in Cousins’ game and added, his size is going to be advantageous and help him when he’s stuck in traffic.
“He’s able to see over the top of defenses. What I’m trying to get him to see more, is to be able to probe, slow yourself down and play at different speeds and he’s starting to get it. He’s starting to understand how to drive with the purpose of making a pass to the next guy and setting the next guy up.”
Patterson touched all categories with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists on 7-of-15 from the field.
NOTE: Jabril Trawick exited the game early in the third, shoulder injury and did not return.
Maine Red Claws – 122 — Canton Charge 117: Coming Home
As American as the NBADL is, there is a nice Canadian pipeline of talent rolling right through Maine. Not the players, it’s the coaches.
Head coach Scott Morrison initially took a leave from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario (where he was the head coach of a successful men’s basketball program) before taking over as the head coaching of the Red Claws. He’s since passed Austin Ainge and Mike Taylor as the most winningest coach in franchise history.
His assistant, Patrick Tatham is also a Toronto guy. Tatham took over as interim head coach for the Ryerson Rams and led them to a CIS title last year. The list continues as Raptors 905 assistant coach, Nathaniel Mitchell, was also brought into the D-League by Morrison.
Catching up with Tatham earlier this year, it turns out the grind is just as real for coaches as it is for players. This guy took forever, weeks, to get a new U.S. number. No time! They are auditioning too, after all.
As for the game script, Maine came out of the break, down five but then hit their stride with a 16-2 run. Only three of those points came from Abdel Nader, but he had 10 in the third and 29 when all was said and done. Canton brought themselves back, capitalizing on the transition game and pulled even at 115-115 with 22 seconds on the game clock.
Out of their time out, and with two seconds on the shot clock, Maine drew up a play for Nader and he nailed it!
Nader knocked down 6-of-10 from distance, added 7 assists and 5 rebounds on the night.
P.S. Someone get Quinn Cook an oxygen tank, he played 44 minutes tonight! Scored 27, added a game high 8 dimes.
Oklahoma City Blue – 95 — Santa Cruz Warriors – 86: Two and out
Similar to the Bulls who started the Thursday slate, the Blue had a quick jaunt to Toronto before they took off back home. A productive business trip for Oklahoma who bid farewell to the Showcase sporting a 2-0 record.
When the buzzer went off at half time, Dakari Johnson was four rebounds away from double-digits. By the end of the third quarter he’d recorded his eighth double-double of the year, on his way to 25 points, 13 rebounds (5 on the offensive glass), 4 blocks and 2 steals. A heck of a night in the win.
After being drafted in the second round and playing second fiddle to some marquee players at Kentucky (first Julius Randle, then a combination of Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein) Johnson is finally out of the shadows and putting his stamp on things.
Earning D-League All-Rookie Team honors last year, Johnson is putting to rest the notion that that season was an anomaly. Minutes (30.5), points (17.7), field goal attempts (12.1), blocks (1.5) and assists (2.7) are all up from last season, when he played all 50 games in the D-League.
For a 7-footer Johnson really moves well. He was tracking the ball well today, ensuring he would be in position to help. He didn’t hesitate to closeout a shooter on the perimeter on miscommunication or an ill-advised switch.
Next: 5 players to watch at the D-League Showcase
Getting low in his defensive stance, Johnson has active hands. A steal in both Showcase games, and a nice stretch from Nov. 26 – Dec. 20 when he had at least one a game.
As expected his offense is good around the basket, but today wasn’t knocking down his longer range attempts. Missed two attempts, one from either elbow, and a corner three.
Oklahoma City have now won eight of their last 10.