NBA: Getting to know every team’s two-way contract players
Houston Rockets / Rio Grande Valley Vipers
N/A
Indiana Pacers / Fort Wayne Mad Ants
Brian Bowen: Bowen is a 6-foot-7 forward who was undrafted in 2019 after playing for the Sydney Kings in the Australian NBL. He averaged 6.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Bowen is a name familiar to many college basketball fans for the alleged recruiting violations that kept him out of college basketball. Unfortunately, his game will not be as familiar since he spent last year overseas.
Naz Mitrou-Long: A 6-foot-4 guard who went undrafted in 2017 out of Iowa State. In 15 career NBA games for Utah, he only averaged one point per contest. In 2018-19, for the Salt Lake City Stars, he averaged 18.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. As a senior at Iowa State, he averaged 15.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists. Mitrou-Long seemed more mature than many of the players at Summer League, even if he does not scream “long-term potential” like some of his peers. That’s probably okay for him though, as many teams would be happy to have a smart, high-IQ player filling their last bench spot.
Los Angeles Clippers/Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario
Amir Coffey: A 6-foot-8 forward who went undrafted out of Minnesota in 2019. As a junior at Minnesota, he averaged 16.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. Having seen Coffey several times in college, he already looked more confident in Summer League, flashing a mix of passing, shooting and athleticism that teams are looking for from their power forwards in today’s NBA.
This confidence lead to some “facepalm” moments but it seemed like the Clippers were willing to live with those at this stage in his development.
Johnathan Motley: Motley was a 6-foot-10 forward who was undrafted in 2017 out of Baylor. He has played in 33 career NBA games, mostly for the Clippers. Last season for Augua Caliente, he averaged an impressive 24 points and 10 rebounds per contest. With already pro experience and the tools to be a contributor, there’s a chance Motley could be on the Clippers’ active roster full-time at some point this season.
Los Angeles Lakers/South Bay Lakers
Kostas Antetokounmpo: Giannis’ brother, Kostas Antetokounmpo, is another player that should jump off the screen. He’s a 6-foot-10 forward that was a second-round pick in 2018. He hasn’t seen mich NBA action but did appear in two games for the Mavs last season. During his time with the Texas Legends last season, Kostas averaged 11 points and six rebounds.
Kostas plays like a much more conventional big man, compared to Giannis, but is still very much a raw talent.
Zach Norvell: Norvel was a standout shooting specialist for Gonzaga last season, where he averaged 15 points, four rebounds, and three assists. While he went undrafted, he has the tools to be an NBA contributor one day.
Memphis Grizzlies/Memphis Hustle
John Konchar: As a senior at Purdue University Fort Wayne, John Konchar averaged an impressive 19 points, eight rebounds and nearly six assists per contest. Per The Ringer:
"“Konchar is an analytics darling whose game impresses with his natural feel as a scorer and playmaker, though he lacks one defining strength.”"
Yuta Watanabe: Yuta Watanabe is another undrafted 6-foot-9 forward out of George Washington. He has some NBA action under his belt, appearing in four games for the Grizzlies last season. With the Memphis Hustle, he averaged 14 points and seven rebounds. There is some promise in Watanabe, but could still be a couple of years away.