Northwest Division Players Under 2-way Contracts

***This is the fifth installment in the series taking a closer look at the new 2-way contracts that has been instituted by the NBA this season. NBA and G League statistics for each player are as of January 1, 2018***

Minnesota Timberwolves

Anthony Brown

College: Stanford

6’7” 224 lbs.

Drafted 34th overall in 2015 by Lakers

Signed 2-way contract: August 1, 2017

Current G-League stats: 20.3 ppg / 6.2 rpg / 2.9 apg / 18 games

Current NBA Stats: 0.0 ppg / 0.0 rpg / 0.0 apg / 0 games

Anthony Brown used a red shirt season after his sophomore year at Stanford to become a deadly outside threat. His three point percentage increased to 45% (10% increase) when he returned for his junior season. He is not a great athlete but is able to excel in the open court. His length and strong body helps him finish around the rim in traffic. Brown has improved his midrange game. He does a good job of finding an open teammate or knocking down a jumper off the dribble. He does need to improve his handles to allow him to get all the way to the rim.

Brown is the perfect size to guard the 3 position. He also has enough lateral quickness to defend some NBA guards. He struggles with being a consistent defender despite his length that should help him excel at pressuring the ball and shot blocking. Staying focused on the defensive end should increase his chances of joining a NBA rotation. Many players transitioning to the NBA struggle with becoming role players after being stars in college. Brown was a role player at Stanford and already understands what it takes to be successful as that type of player.

Portland Trail Blazers

Wade Baldwin IV

College: Vanderbilt

6’4” 202 lbs.

Drafted 17th overall in 2016 by Grizzlies

Signed 2-way contract: October 19, 2017

Current G-League stats: 9.8 ppg / 4.8 rpg / 5.0 apg / 6 games

Current NBA Stats: 0.0 ppg / 0.0 rpg / 0.0 apg / 0 games

Wade Baldwin is a point guard that came out of college as a outside shooter that could not get into the lane to make plays. This aspect of his game is changing. He is improving on getting by his defender, finishing at the rim, or pulling up for a mid-range jump shot. A player with his size will be able to be productive as a point guard. He efficiently handles the ball and finishes around the rim with either hand. Baldwin still needs to create more space between him and a defender and change directions better to help set up scoring chances. He is able to use his body to get to the foul line more than normal.

Baldwin has the physical attributes to be a better then average defender who can guard both guard positions. His 6’10” wingspan allows him to contest shots and pressure ball handlers. Baldwin has the toughness to fight through screens and is quick enough to keep ball handlers in front of him. The problem on the defensive end is guarding for the the entire possession. When Baldwin’s defense catches up with his improved offense then he should be able to help the Grizzlies.

CJ Wilcox

College: Washington

6’5” 195 lbs.

Drafted 28th overall in 2014 by Clippers

Signed 2-way contract: October 9, 2017

Current G-League stats: 0 ppg / 0 rpg / 0 apg / 0 games

Current NBA Stats: 0.0 ppg / 0.0 rpg / 0.0 apg / 0 games

CJ Wilcox is a better than average shooter. He has the prototypical body for a NBA 2 guard. He shoots it best off the catch. He does a good understanding of reading defenses and is effective when coming off screens to get open. Wilcox is a good enough ball handler and very consistent shooting off the dribble. He has the ability to find open teammates for scoring chances.

Wilcox defensive success depends on his positioning. When in the right spot, he is a good athlete who keeps his man in front of him. He needs to improve on fighting through screens and help side recovery. Adding any strength will only help him in all aspects of his game, especially on the defensive end. Wilcox’s high motor and good basketball IQ gives him an opportunity to be a nice 2 guard that stretches out defenses in the NBA. He has been rehabbing from knee surgery and has not been able to play yet this season. He has recently joined the Santa Cruz Warriors and will begin playing soon.

Denver Nuggets

Torrey Craig

College: USC Upstate

6’6” 215 lbs.

2014 undrafted free agent

Signed 2-way contract: July 19, 2017

Current G-League stats: 25.2 ppg / 8.2 rpg / 3.6 apg / 10 games

Current NBA Stats: 4.6 ppg / 3.1 rpg / 1.1 apg / 9 games

Torrey Craig has spent his 3 year professional career in Australia/New Zealand working on his skills. He is the type of player who works extremely hard to improve his game. He begin his career as a role player who scored garbage baskets and do whatever the team needed to win. He improved his three point shot enough to lead his team in scoring to earn the New Zealand NBL MVP. He moves well without the ball and is able to finish around the rim in traffic. Craig has improved on his ability to score off the dribble. He also uses his athleticism to be a productive rebounder on the offensive end.

Craig first earned his professional playing time by guarding the opposing team’s best scorer. He is able to combine his length and quickness to be a lockdown defensive player. Craig is also able to come from help to be an exciting shot blocker. He is considered the best defender on the Denver Nuggets by the coaching staff.

Monte Morris

College: Iowa State

6’3” 175 lbs.

Drafted 51st overall in 2017 by Nuggets

Signed 2-way contract: July 21, 2017

Current G-League stats: 17.3 ppg / 4.3 rpg / 5.2 apg / 20 games

Current NBA Stats: 0.0 ppg / 0.0 rpg / 0.0 apg / 0 games

Monte Morris is a high IQ point guard that is very efficient at getting the entire team involved in the offense. He is not super quick off the dribble but relies on change of pace to keep his defender guessing. Morris thrives when making decisions in pick and roll situations. He needs to improve creating his own offense and becoming more consistent with his jumpshot.

Morris is successful on defense due to his ability to be in the right guarding position. He does a great job of anticipating the ball to get easy steals from help position. He has a great understanding of defensive angles and is able to hide his lack of speed. He does need to get stronger in order fight through screens better. One advantage Morris has over many other rookies is that he played in an NBA style offense while at Iowa State.

Oklahoma City Thunder

PJ Dozier

College: South Carolina

6’6” 205 lbs.

Signed as a 2017 undrafted free agent by the Mavericks

Signed 2-way contract: October 16, 2017

Current G-League stats: 10.3 ppg / 4.5 rpg / 2.3 apg / 22 games

Current NBA Stats: 0.0 ppg / 0.0 rpg / 0.0 apg / 0 games

PJ Dozier is an elite, long athlete who uses his body to help him in all facets of the game. He has a prototypical frame to play the wing in the NBA. Dozier gets down the floor quickly in transition. His quickness comes in the full court when he has time to get moving. He struggles in the half court when he needs to create for himself and/or make passes. He is a very good offensive rebounder. He has the ability to use a hesitation dribble when attacking the rim. Dozier needs to improve shooting mechanics to speed up his release.

Dozier relies on his length and athleticism on the defensive end. He is able to use his length to close out and pressure ball handlers. Dozier is almost always in the correct defensive position and it allows him to get deflections and steals. He is also always working on the defensive end and very seldom takes a play off. One thing that sets Dozier apart is his willingness to do the little things and does not mind being a role player.

Daniel Hamilton

College: UCONN

6’7” 195 lbs.

Drafted 56th overall in 2016 by Nuggets

Signed 2-way contract: August 3, 2017

Current G-League stats: 15.9 ppg / 9.4 rpg / 8.1 apg / 22 games

Current NBA Stats: 0.0 ppg / 0.0 rpg / 0.0 apg / 1 games

Daniel Hamilton has NBA size but does need to add some weight and strength.

Hamilton excels in transition when he gets into the open court. When he gets into the half court then a few of his weaknesses are exposed. He struggles to get by defenders and tends to dribble excessively. He can also get out of control and force up a bad shot off the dribble. He is an average outside shooter and can use more consistency in this area. Hamilton’s greatest strengths are his ability to rebound and court vision making him a triple double threat.

Hamilton could use some work on the defensive end with his focus and discipline. He struggles to get into and stay in a defensive stance. He is not a good enough athlete to not give total effort when defending. His motor gets going after a shot goes up as he hunts down a rebound. Hamilton does a great job of chasing down rebounds and he is also able to start the break on his own. Hamilton’s size and potential to play both a wing and shooting guard make him an intriguing player.

Utah Jazz

Eric McCree

College: Louisiana Tech

6’8” 225 lbs.

Signed as a 2017 undrafted free agent by Heat

Signed 2-way contract: December 21, 2017

Current G-League stats: 17.3 ppg / 5.8 rpg / 1.4 apg / 17 games

Current NBA Stats: 0.0 ppg / 0.0 rpg / 0.0 apg / 0 games

Eric McCree is a lefty who can score from anywhere on the floor. His speciality is scoring off the dribble. He needs to become more consistent with his three point range. McCree has a strong body that helps him score down low and/or gets to the foul line. He is a player that is not great at any one offensive skill but is very efficient in all areas.

McCree will need to work hard to improve his defense. Although he is a good athlete, who rebounds well, he is not very active on defense. His strong frame will help him defend bigger players. McCree does struggle to guard the ball due to his lateral speed. For McCree to become an contributing NBA player he needs to prove he is more than just an offensive player.

Naz Mitrou-Long

College: Iowa State

6’4” 210 lbs.

Signed as a 2017 undrafted free agent by Jazz

Signed 2-way contract: December 22, 2017

Current G-League stats: 17.9 ppg / 15.0 rpg / 3.9 apg / 21 games

Current NBA Stats: 3.0 ppg / 0.0 rpg / 0.0 apg / 1 games

Naz Mitrou-Long is a player who will have to transition to more of a point guard role after spending his college days as a shooting guard. He can catch and shoot the ball from deep with consistency. He will have to improve scoring off the dribble as he plays more point guard. Mitrou-Long does a good job of finding open teammates. He has a nice hesitation dribble to get inside the lane but struggles to score inside. One thing that will help him transition to PG is Mitrou-Long loves to have ball in crunch time and will make tough shots when needed.

Part of the reason for Mitrou-Long to move to point guard is due to he is not big enough to defend shooting guards at the NBA level. He is going to have to improve his focus on the defensive end. He had surgery after his junior year on both hips that caused him to redshirt one season. He also has to hope his surgically repaired hips continue to perform adequately.