Kings' D-League experiment getting players noticed
Playing at a breakneck pace is proving every bit as beneficial as it is exhausting.
The Reno Bighorns, the D-League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings, set out this season to play at an incredibly fast pace, valuing forced turnovers and early-clock triples above all else. Logic dictated that it would be an interesting experiment, and it's also been a major boon to the NBA prospects of Reno's players.
Playing at a faster pace means more possessions each game, which means more opportunities to tally statistics with which to catch the eye of NBA teams.
NBA clubs are smarter than to just take numbers at their surface, but a robust stat line is a great way to force a team to pull your game tape.
Led by David Arsenault Jr., a former Division III coach at Grinnell College, the Bighorns are averaging 115 possessions per game, 6.9 more than the next fastest team in the D-League. That would stand as the fastest pace since the data become available in 1973-74 if an NBA team played that quickly.
Those extra possessions have helped boost the stats of several Reno players, and in the past week, three Bighorns have been poached by NBA teams as call-ups.
The Kings themselves grabbed David Stockton, son of NBA legend John Stockton. David was averaging 16.6 points and 7.9 assists before his call-up, finding plenty of possessions to use despite playing only 27.1 minutes per game because, well, nobody can play at Reno's pace and last much more than 30 minutes.
Quincy Miller, who had previously been called up by the Kings, landed a 10-day contract with the Detroit Pistons as he looks to get his NBA career back on track after a disappointing two-year start. Miller was averaging a ridiculous 25.3 points in 28.9 minutes with Reno, chipping in 7.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocks for good measure.
Sharing the forward load with Miller was Jordan Hamilton, who now finds himself on the Los Angeles Clippers. A bit of a disappointment early in his career, Hamilton was able to display his versatility with Reno, averaging 18.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
Prior to going down to a season-ending shoulder injury, Kings roster player Eric Moreland was able to make his case for a recall, too, averaging 13.7 points and 12.7 rebounds.
Perhaps the biggest financial beneficiary of the system has been Brady Heslip, who delayed signing in Europe in hopes of landing with an NBA team, but ultimately darted for BC Igokea of the Adriatic League.
Heslip's camp spoke highly of the Bighorns upon departure, little surprise considering his 24.5 points in 30.9 minutes likely helped get him noticed and earned him a substantially higher salary than the maximum $25,000 a D-Leaguer makes.
None of this is to say the system is making incapable players look like NBA caliber ones. Stockton's emergence is surprising, but Miller and Hamilton were well-regarded prospects and Heslip was considered a fringe NBA player.
Nobody is rushing to make Sim Bhullar the next Hassan Whiteside, either, stats be damned.
It's not particularly effective at the team level - Reno is 14-20 - but the fast pace does appear to be a great opportunity for rehabilitating players or even just establishing value for others in the eyes of NBA evaluators.