2024 G-League Elite Camp Preview
The NBA Draft is right around the corner, and a major element of the Pre-Draft process kicks off this weekend in Chicago with not just the Lottery, but the G-League Elite Camp. Forty-five prospects will participate in two days of five-on-five scrimmages and strength/agility drills in front of teams. A select few will earn coveted invites to stay the week for the NBA Draft Combine, directly following from May 12-19 at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago.
The Elite Camp is a unique platform that has proven to be valuable for prospects on varying trajectories. Some will likely generate enough momentum to hear their name called this June, others will secure their standing for a two-way or E-10, and many will return to their school/club to improve their NBA standing.
A pair of impact players in the Playoffs showcase this…
Aaron Wiggins attended Elite Camp in 2021 while maintaining the option to return to Maryland for his senior season. He ended up playing his way into the NBA Combine and hearing his name called in June — going 55th overall to the OKC Thunder, where he currently serves as a key complementary player.
Andrew Nembhard attended Elite Camp in 2019 after an inconsistent freshman season at Florida where he ultimately fell short of the expectations he held after his play with Montverde Academy, Team Canada in FIBA, and on the all-start circuit at the Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit. He opted to return to UF for his sophomore season after not earning a call-up to the Combine.
After his sophomore year, he declared for the Draft again before choosing to return to school, but this time he entered the transfer portal and elected to play for Coach Mark Few and Gonzaga. In his junior season, he was a key catalyst to Gonzaga’s run to the National Championship where they ultimately fell to Baylor, earning WCC’s Sixth Man of the Year and Conf. Tournament MVP honors in the process.
For the first time in his career however, Nembhard did not entertain the draft process and immediately announced his return to Gonzaga for his senior season, where he’d go on to have the best individual season of his collegiate career, achieving career highs in scoring, assists and three-point percentage.
After his senior season, he earned a direct invite to the NBA Combine, and dominated in his sole scrimmage, scoring 26 points and diming 11 assists while nursing an injury that kept him out the day prior. He’d go on to be picked 31st overall by the Indiana Pacers, signing a four-year, $8.6 million contract with a $6.4 million guarantee in the first three years—the most ever for a collegiate second-round pick.
Fast-forward now, 5 years later from his participation in the G-League Elite Camp, he’s starting in the backcourt for the Pacers in the second round of the playoffs. Long story short, the Elite Camp is filled with prospects on varying timelines.
The NBA has announced the following 45 prospects will be competing in this year’s G-League Elite Camp
A select number of players (roughly 4-8) will be invited to participate in the directly-following, NBA Combine, based on their respective performances. Last year, eight players received call-ups to the NBA Combine, including Johni Broome, Kendric Davis, Tosan Evbuomwan, Jazian Gortman, PJ Hall, Dillon Jones, Sir’Jabari Rice, and Hunter Tyson who was drafted 37th overall by the Denver Nuggets.
Some other notable participants of late:
Andrew Nembhard - Indiana Pacers
Aaron Wiggins - OKC Thunder
Max Strus - Cleveland Cavaliers
Terance Mann - LA Clippers
Jose Alvarado - New Orleans Pelicans
Caleb Martin - Miami Heat
Vince Williams Jr. - Memphis Grizzlies
Kenneth Lofton Jr. - Utah Jazz
Colin Castleton - Los Angeles Lakers
Amir Coffey - LA Clippers
Dalano Banton - Boston Celtics
A.J. Green - Milwaukee Bucks
Tyrese Martin - Atlanta Hawks
Eleven Portsmouth Invitational Prospects Earned Invites to Chicago
Branden Carlson, Isaiah Crawford, Clarence Daniels, Sean East II, Jesse Edwards, Boogie Ellis, Tristan Enaruna, Aaron Estrada, Allen Flanigan, Enrique Freeman, Isaac Jones, and Zyon Pullin ('23) will represent the P.I.T strongly in Chicago. Many scouts thought Isaac Jones was the clear top performer at Portsmouth and it would not be a surprise if his stay in the Windy City exceeds two days.
Elite Camp Prospects in the Transfer Portal
Garwey Dual, Arthur Kaluma, Chaz Lanier, Baba Miller, Ugonna Onyenso, and Wooga Poplar will head to Chicago with no shortage of options at their disposal — all demanding steady interest from high-major college programs while going through the Draft Process.
Potential Call-Ups
Projecting the NBA Combine call-ups is an art form, especially when considering the perspective of NBA teams behind the votes. If you’re a team and you have a sleeper you’ve been tracking all year that you’re eying for a draft pick/two-way/E-10/etc, why the hell would you vote them to stay and play in front of the other 29 NBA teams for another week?
Nonetheless, as with the P.I.T. callups, NBA teams tend to have some commonalities with what they favor in a call-up — multi-faceted wings, prospects with strong athletic profiles, and low-usage role guys that can contribute to the competition level of the scrimmages without the ball in their hands.
Keep An Eye On (A-Z)
Adama Bal | Santa Clara | 6’6 Guard
Adama Bal has had a unique path. The Le Mans, French native stepped foot on Arizona’s campus as the youngest player in college basketball at just 17 years old. He struggled to carve out a role for two seasons, playing behind Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry, Pelle Larsson, Courtney Ramey, Kerr Krissa, and Kylan Boswell.
He transferred to Santa Clara and immediately blossomed, scoring 23+ points in a pair of early wins over Stanford and Oregon. He went on to have a First Team All-WCC junior season, averaging 14.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while converting on 50% of his 2-point attempts, shooting 35.4% from three-point range on 5 attempts per game, and 83% from the charity stripe.
His knack for getting downhill — aided by long strides, nifty change of speed, and soft touch, paired with a 6-foot-11 wingspan are intriguing. Hit 39% of his OTD 3-point attempts, but just 32% of his catch-and-shoots. He may not be a draftable prospect this year and could benefit from another year of development in college, but I’m curious to see what he looks like in the scrimmages.
Isaiah Crawford | LA Tech | 6’6 Wing
Thierry Darlan | G-League Ignite | 6’7 G/W
Garwey Dual | Transfer Portal via Providence | 6’5 G/W
Garwey Dual entered his freshman season at Providence with one-and-done buzz, fueled by his late-blooming trajectory, a tantalizing blend of physical tools standing at 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, and the strong first impression he left on many NBA evaluators during Nike Hoop Summit practices in Portland. He ultimately struggled in his freshman season, showcasing room for further development. Across 33 games, with 6 starts, he averaged 3.3 points, 1.9 assists, 1.3 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. He shot 40% from 2-point range and 25% from beyond the arc. Now, this spring, he's exploring all possibilities, entering both the Draft process and the transfer portal.
Tristan Enaruna | Cleveland State | 6’8 Forward
Dutch forward, Tristan Enaruna has had a tumultuous collegiate career with stops at Kansas and Iowa State before coming into his own at Cleveland State. He enters the G-League Elite Camp with tremendous momentum, winning Most Valuable Player at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournamnet in front of all 30 NBA teams, and a strong senior season where he averaged 19.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on 54% from 2FG and 32% from 3FG. He fits a desired profile as a 6-foot-8 forward with two-way tools. Efficient 3-point shooting would help him break through the cracks.
Enrique Freeman | Akron | 6’8 Big
Isaac Jones | Washington State | 6’9 Big
Chaz Lanier | Transfer Portal via North Florida | 6’4 Guard
Chaz Lanier has an awesome story. He stood just 5-foot-6 at the beginning of high school and had to work his way up from the freshman team to JV, then Varsity. Didn’t play AAU. Held two D1 offers—North Florida and Campbell. He heads to North Florida, admits he wasn’t ready to play as a freshman, “picked up a little more” as a sophomore, and played behind three all-league guys as a junior — saying “I was a role player, play good defense and make 3s. I think I did a good job at that.” Senior Year: “One of the key guys graduated and two others transferred, so that spot to be the guy opened up. I was ready for it. I stayed down for it. I worked and the opportunity presented itself. And I took full advantage of it.”
This season he averaged 19.6 points per game on 44% shooting from 3-point range, making history as the Atlantic Sun’s first player to ever finish a season on 50/40/90 splits with over 100 FGM and 50 3PM. "The main thing for me throughout the process was — stay down and stay ready because I knew my time was going to come." Now he’s rightfully going through the NBA Draft process and is the most coveted guard in the transfer portal, with heavy attention from the likes of Tennessee and Kentucky.
Malique Lewis | Mexico City Capitanes | 6’8 Forward
19-year-old Trinidad + Tobago native, Malique Lewis was the No. 1 overall pick in the inaugural NBA G League International Draft this past season. He’s among the most fascinating prospects in this year’s draft — showing both growth and promise on both ends of the floor in the G-League this past season, despite just five years of playing experience under his belt.
Baba Miller | Transfer Portal via FSU | 6’11 Forward
Zyon Pullin | Florida | 6’4 Combo Guard
Zyon Pullin quietly established himself as one of the steadiest guards in college basketball this past season. He earned First Team All-SEC honors, boasting averages of 15.5 points, 5 assists, and 3.9 rebounds, while shooting an impressive 44.9% from beyond the arc on 2.4 attempts per game. He set a Florida record with a 3.77 assist-to-turnover ratio, the best number posted in the 2000s by an SEC player. He is an interesting prospect. He lacks the explosiveness of the average NBA player (as seen in his 45.5% finishing rate at the rim), but he's an NBA mover with the ability to sharply change angles and lull defenders with deception. This is enabled by his strong lower body, excellent balance, and sharp handle.
Good PnR operator with a distinctive feel for the game and a creative in-between game. An accurate passer who dots passes cross-court with the follow-through of a quarterback. 94th percentile out of Spot-Ups per Synergy Sports, netting 45.5% of his 3s. Well-rounded and displayed his ability to seamlessly play off the ball alongside Walter Clayton Jr, who is an absolute flamethrower and could also erupt in Elite Camp scrimmages.
Ultimately, his heady feel for the game, joystick-esque change of direction, PnR polish, pesty defense, and ability to play on-or-off the ball could prove worthy of an NBA contract.
Jarin Stevenson | Alabama | 6’10 Forward
As one of the youngest players in college basketball, Jarin Stevenson made a significant impact on Alabama’s journey to the Final Four. With a standout performance, tallying 19 points, including an impressive 5-of-8 from 3-point range, he played a key role in defeating Clemson in the Elite Eight. Stevenson is more likely to be a player to watch in the 2025 class (where he’d still be just 19 years old on draft night), but perhaps he can generate some momentum in Chicago — showcasing his versatile blend of two-way tools and skill to NBA executives up close.