The G League May Not be the Best Place to See Future NBA Talent

This was reported by ESPN earlier today. A number of 2018 first-round prospects, including potential 7-0 lottery pick Mitchell Robinson, who withdrew from Western Kentucky after enrolling and leaving school before the season started, have inquired about playing in the G League but were told they would not be eligible to play in the NBA affiliated league.

Their ineligibility stems from a rule that prevents players who were enrolled in college during the academic calendar year from being offered a contract in the same season, unless they have been ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA with no opportunity of being reinstated.

Players who don’t fall into this category include those with ties to the FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball. That pool includes De’Anthony Melton of USC, Brian Bowen of Louisville and Austin Wiley and Daniel Purifoy of Auburn. It also does not include players who chose to withdraw from college voluntarily, like LiAngelo Ball of UCLA.

Since the NCAA has not ruled on the eligibility of players in the FBI probe, those players have the option of playing overseas, spending the entire year training in America and entering the pre-draft with no real resume, or waiting for an NCAA ruling.

The rule has been questioned by front offices of different NBA teams and player agents, who don’t understand why the G League is preventing legitimate draft prospects from being seen by NBA scouts and front office executives.