NBA D-League  |  Prospect Watch  |  

Mike Harris, Rio Grande Valley Vipers – Stop the presses, Mike Harris hasn’t had a double-double in four straight games! It’s his second longest drought of the season, although he’s come up one rebound short in his last two games. His numbers have taken a slight dip in February, although about 99% of players in the NBA D-League would not be complaining about 25.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, and .548 shooting. NBA teams have been leaning more towards guards when it comes to call-ups this season, but Harris should get another call before April comes around, maybe even this week…

 

Will Conroy, Rio Grande Valley – Conroy, locked in a daily battle with Reno’s Desmon Farmer for the right to end each evening as the NBA D-League’s all-time leading scorer, has been playing fantastic basketball from the point guard spot lately. He entered and came out of the All-Star break with consecutive triple-doubles before a 21-point, 14-assist performance on Saturday where he topped 3,000 career NBA D-League points. With multiple trips to the NBA already on his resume, Conroy is the best option for an NBA team right now that needs point guard help.

 

 

Dwayne Jones, Austin – As mentioned earlier, NBA teams hasn’t been looking for centers from the NBA D-League this season, but if they do Jones should be their top option. The veteran center ended a tepid offensive stretch on Sunday when he scored 26 points on 10-17 shooting against Bakersfield. When it comes to rebounding, Jones is quite simply having the best campaign in NBA D-League history. He pulled down 26 on Sunday, his 7^th game with 20 or more rebounds this season.

 

 

Alexander Johnson, Sioux Falls – Johnson looks like an NBA player at 6-10, 240, and he’s playing like one who deserves a call-up. He’s taken a Sioux Falls team that was treading .500 and led them to a 6-2 record since entering the lineup. Johnson is averaging 21.9 points and 11.6 rebounds on .532 shooting since joining the Skyforce. He has some NBA experience from his tenure with the Heat, so NBA teams looking for reinforcement at power forward and center could look Johnson’s way.

 

 

Mustafa Shakur, Tulsa – It’s a small sample size of six games, but Shakur appears to be looking to score more often lately, as his average has jumped up two points in February while his assists have dropped by two per contest. He’s especially gotten better at long-range shooting, connecting on .500 (8-16) from three-point land this month. Shakur leads the 66ers in both scoring and assists, and you probably can’t find another player in the league who accounts for as much as his team’s offensive production as him.

 

 

Reggie Williams, Sioux Falls – Williams has been an offensive stalwart all season, but lately he has heated up even more than usual. Over seven games in February, the Skyforce guard is averaging 27.3 points while shooting .613 from the field. The arrival of Alexander Johnson as an interior threat should be a big help for Williams as teams can longer focus on him as much if they want to stop the Skyforce. There are some questions about his defense and athleticism at the NBA level, but Williams deserves at least a look from a team this season.

 

 

Alonzo Gee, Austin – Gee’s line has been consistent all year, and his performance in the slam-dunk contest enable more people to get a look at his explosive athletic ability. His field-goal percentage has fallen a bit after adding a three-point shot to his repertoire, but other than that the resume looks good for  one of the top candidates for NBA D-League Rookie of the Year.  

 

 

Donnell Taylor, Idaho  – Taylor hasn’t really gotten a lot of love lately, maybe because the Stampede are struggling, or because people feel that his numbers are inflated in the Idaho system. Of course, that didn’t hurt Sundiata Gaines or Anthony Tolliver from getting the call from an NBA team. What’s a fact is that the 6-5 Taylor has two years of NBA experience and is averaging 24.3 points and 7.9 rebounds in February. He’s displayed a solid all-around game on the offensive end, and if the Taylor-Coby Karl-Ander Barrett trio can stay together, the Stampede should be able to win some more and challenge for a playoff spot.. On the other hand, any of the trio could sign with an NBA team at any given moment as well.

 

 

Morris Almond, Maine – Almond has been traded to Maine, where he will no longer be head and shoulder the most talented offensive player, so the days of taking 20 shots in a game might be over. How he fits in with a very talented Red Claws team will be one of the more intriguing storylines over the last two months of the regular season. After three games he is averaging 11.7 shots per game for Maine after posting 16.3 attempts as a member of the Armor. No matter what NBA D-League team he is on, few are his peer when it comes to piling up points at the free-throw line.

 

 

Carlos Powell, Albuqurque – Well, we’ve gone over this before, and the story is the same. Powell is playing excellent all-around basketball and deserves a Call-Up. The one item that he could add to his arsenal is a more consistent three-point shot.