NBA: Getting to know every team’s two-way contract players
Meeting every team’s two-way contract players for the 2019-20 NBA season
"“NBA teams may have up to two players under NBA Two-Way Contracts who will spend the bulk of the season in the NBA G League and not more than 45 days with their NBA team. Only players in their fourth NBA season or earlier are able to sign Two-Way Contracts, which can be for either one or two seasons.”"
Two-Way contracts are handed to players that teams believe could be worth giving an eventual roster spot to but they want to see a larger sample size before making a long-term commitment. These players often include second-round draft picks, higher upside un-drafted players, and players who had G League success the previous season.
Many of these players are not household names which leave fans guessing as to what to expect from them. To help you get better acquainted we have included a breakdown of the two-way players for each team. Listed below is some basic information on each player, their high-level statistics from RealGM, and observations based on their play at Las Vegas Summer League.
This is not intended to be a trip down the analytics rabbit hole but rather to give a broad sense of who each team is considering for the future.
Atlanta Hawks/College Park Skyhawks
Charlie Brown, Jr.: First of all, it’s not THAT Charlie Brown. Or his son. Brown Jr. is an un-drafted 6’7 forward out of Saint Joseph’s. In his sophomore season, he led the A-10 in scoring at 19 points per game. He also added 6.2 rebound and 1.5 assists en route to Second Team All-A-10 Honors.
Brandon Goodwin: Goodwin is an un-drafted 6-foot-2 point guard who played 16 games for the Denver Nuggets in 2018-19 and averaged 1.4 points, .2 rebounds, .9 assists. In 2018-2019, for the Memphis Hustle, he averaged 23.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists. In 2017-2018, as a senior at Florida Gulf Coast, he averaged 18.59 points, 5.53 rebounds, 4.76 assists.
Boston Celtics/Maine Red Claws
Max Strus: An un-drafted 6-foot-6 guard who averaged 20.14 points, 5.91 rebounds, 2.45 assists as a senior at DePaul in 2018-2019.
Tremont Waters: A 2019 second-round pick (21st) of the Celtics. Waters is a 5-foot-11 point guard who averaged 15.27 points, 2.79 rebounds, 5.82 assists as a sophomore at LSU. Waters seems like one of those players who would have been a no-brainer 1st round pick if he were three inches taller. With no pressure to contribute right away, Waters could quietly develop into a nice player.
Brooklyn Nets/Long Island Nets
Henry Ellenson: A 6-foot-11 power forward who was a 2016 1st round pick (18th) by Detroit, Henry Ellenson is one of the better-known names from this bunch. Ellenson has played in 76 career NBA games while averaging six points and three rebounds over that span. In 2018-19, for the Grand Rapids Drive, he averaged 19.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists. As a freshman at Marquette in 2015-16, he averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds. The potential is there, he simply has been unable to put it all together in the NBA.
Charlotte Hornets/Greensboro Swarm
Robert Franks: A 6-foot-8 forward who went undrafted out of Washington State in 2019. As a senior in college, he averaged 21.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per contest.
Chicago Bulls/Windy City Bulls
Adam Mokoka: A 6-foot-5 undrafted shooting guard from France who most recently played for KK Mega Bemax in Serbia (Adriatic League). In 2018-2019, he averaged 11.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Mokoka is an intriguing prospect to keep an eye on and could develop into a contributor in a couple of seasons.