Southwest Division Players Under 2-way Contracts

***This is the seventh 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 March 24, 2018***

Houston Rockets

RJ Hunter

College: Georgia State

6’5” 185 lbs.

Drafted 28th overall in 2015 by Celtics

Signed 2-way contract: January 14, 2018

Current G-League stats: 20.8 ppg / 3.5 rpg / 3.2 apg / 45 games

Current NBA Stats: 0.0 ppg / 0.5 rpg / 1.0 apg / 2 games

TJ Hunter had the advantage of growing up as a son of a college basketball coach. The long, athletic shooting guard has a high basketball IQ due to his upbringing. Hunter has always had the ability to spread out defenses with his unlimited shooting range. He has the ability to find an open player and put them in position to score. He can score the ball at a high rate but has been inconsistent throughout his career. He needs to improve his ball handling in order to create his own offense. His rebounding skills are above average for a wing player. He does not like to be defended physical and struggles with defenders who will body him up.

One thing that sticks out is that Hunter is a leader on the court. Hunter is not the quickest defender when it comes to staying in from of a ball handler. He also tends to ball watch when he needs to be focused on defense. His length allows him to bother smaller players and helps him to gather rebounds. His basketball IQ is also good enough to make up for his defensive inadequacies.

Markel Brown

College: Oklahoma State

6’3” 185 lbs.

Drafted 44th overall in 2014 by Timberwolves

Signed 2-way contract: January 15, 2018

Current G-League stats: 16.8 ppg / 4.5 rpg / 2.8 apg / 31 games

Current NBA Stats: 1.3 ppg / 1.3 rpg / 0.5 apg / 4 games

is a shooting guard that lacks some the size of an average NBA shooter. He is able to use his great athleticism to make up to make up for his lack of height. He has developed a consistent fade away jump shot that helps him when going against bigger defenders. He is able to spread the floor with his consistent outside shot. Brown moves well without the ball and thrives in the open court. He is an explosive jumper and goes to the rim hard when finishing. He lacks the ability to create shots on his own in the half court

On the defensive end, Brown struggles to keep the ball handler in front of him. He seems to lose focus and lacks urgency when guarding the ball or trying to fight through screens. As a small player he must be able to get through screens efficiently. If he is able to combine his quickness with great footwork then he will be a more efficient on ball defender. He also struggles guarding bigger guards.

San Antonio Spurs

Matt Costello

College: Michigan State

6’10” 240 lbs.

Signed as a 2016 undrafted free agent by the Hawks

Signed 2-way contract: July 24, 2017

Current G-League stats: 8.2 ppg / 7.0 rpg / 1.9 apg / 30 games

Current NBA Stats: 1.0 ppg / 2.3 rpg / 0.5 apg / 4 games

Matt Costello is a solid big man who does not try to play out of his zone. He understands his strengths and tries to play to them. He consistently runs the floor and beats his man down for easy baskets. He is a role player that will set screens and get his points with in the offense. He is an effective on the ball screener and does a good job of rolling to the rim. He is capable of stepping out to shoot the three when he is given time. He is a very effective rebounder on the offensive end.

On the defensive end, Costello is considered a tweener that is to small to guard a true center and not athletic enough to defend an NBA power forward. What he likes in size, Costello makes up for it in hard work. He is a good team defensive player and is a proactive defender. He rebounds well on the defensive end and seems to have a knack for knowing where the ball is going to be.

Darrun Hilliard

College: Villanova

6’6” 220 lbs.

Drafted 38th overall in 2015 by Pistons

Signed 2-way contract: September 11, 2017

Current G-League stats: 20.8 ppg / 4.6 rpg / 3.8 apg / 4 games

Current NBA Stats: 1.1 ppg / 0.5 rpg / 0.8 apg / 14 games

Darrun Hilliard is the prototypical player the Spurs look to sign. He is a player under the radar that played a key role on his college team. He went from a little used freshman to an important role player at Villanova. He is able to space the defense out with his ability to make the open three off the catch. He needs to be more consistent shooting off the dribble. Hilliard also needs to improve on making offense for himself in the half court. He does a good job of hitting an open teammate for a scoring opportunity. He has a good basketball IQ and makes good decisions a majority of the team.

Hilliard plays a smart defensive game. He is capable of guarding shooting guards and small forwards in the NBA. He relies on proper fundamentals and high energy to defend. He uses his basketball IQ to put himself in position to make plays. Hilliard’s ability to rebound needs to also improve. He is not very long but could be crafty enough to pull down a few more offensive rebounds than he does.

New Orleans Pelicans

Charles Cooke

College: Dayton

6’5” 196 lbs.

Signed as a 2017 undrafted free agent by the Timberwolves

Signed 2-way contract: August 2, 2017

Current G-League stats: 12.8 ppg / 4.0 rpg / 1.8 apg / 25 games

Current NBA Stats: 0.5 ppg / 0.2 rpg / 0.1 apg / 11 games

Charles Cooke is a long athlete that has that fits the body type of a shooting guard in the NBA. He has improved his range every year in college a can space out the defense with his shot. He does not have much of an in between game. He either gets to the rim or shoots the three. Cooke needs to work on finishing inside but he does has the ability to draw a foul line and get free throws. Has to improve using and getting a shot off when using screens. He has a tendency to force the action instead of allowing the game to come to him, especially when he is defended close.

Cooke is a solid on ball defender but will lose focus at times. He uses his lateral quickness and length to keep the the offense in front. He is also able to use his athleticism to recover from help and closeout on shooters. He rebounds well, partly due to his ability to jump and react quickly. He is a hard worker that, with steady improvement to parts of his game, could be a nice role player in the NBA.

Dallas Mavericks

Johnathan Motley

College: Baylor

6’10” 230 lbs.

Signed as a 2017 undrafted free agent by the Mavericks

Signed 2-way contract: July 3, 2017

Current G-League stats: 22.2 ppg / 9.7 rpg / 2.0 apg / 34 games

Current NBA Stats: 3.6 ppg / 2.6 rpg / 0.4 apg / 5 games

Johnathan Motley is a long athlete that thrives on the offensive glass. He does a good job of finishing around the rim against bigger players. He can score going over either shoulder and has a consistent fade away jumper. He is effective in transition and runs the floor to make plays. His problem on offense is his ability to process the game as a playmaker. He will try to do to much and often turn the ball over. He also has a nice touch from three as long as he has time to get the shot off.

Motley is adjusting from playing zone in college the majority of time. He can be a versatile defender as long he stays locked-in the entire possession. He uses his length to contest shots and bother jump shooters. When he is in help, he Motley tends to lose his man and must work hard to recover. He is either feast or famine when it comes to blocking shots down low. He needs to learn better timing and not sell himself out of the play when attempting to block a shot. His ability to improve every in college should be no different in the professional ranks and could be a nice role player in the NBA.

Jalen Jones

College: Texas A&M

6’7” 220 lbs.

Signed as a 2016 undrafted free agent by the Raptors

Signed 2-way contract: January 11, 2018

Current G-League stats: 19.4 ppg / 7.0 rpg / 2.3 apg / 32 games

Current NBA Stats: 3.3 ppg / 2.2 rpg / 0.2 apg / 11 games

Jalen Jones has a strong, long body that will translate well to the NBA but he needs to improve his perimeter skills to match other players his size. He has a nice post game and can be a mismatch for bigger players. Jones has developed a consistent fade away jump shot when having to score against against taller post players. When playing on the perimeter, he will only look for jump shots and does not have the ability to attack much off the dribble. He needs to improve his outside jump shot more to be considered a threat from three.

Jones is a decent on ball defender and uses good positioning to stay in front of ball handlers. He does need to stay down in stance on a more consistent basis to be more effective. When he is off the ball then there tends to be a struggle on defense. He will lose track of his man and tends to give up three point attempts. He is able to use his length to make up for defensive inadequacies.

Memphis Grizzlies

Kobi Simmons

College: Arizona

6’4” 170 lbs.

Signed as a 2017 undrafted free agent by the Grizzlies

Signed 2-way contract: July 1, 2017

Current G-League stats: 15.1 ppg / 2.7 rpg / 3.9 apg / 26 games

Current NBA Stats: 5.3 ppg / 1.7 rpg / 1.7 apg / 23 games

Kobi Simmons is a combo guard that thrives to score. He is a quick athlete who thrives in the open court. He does have a tendency to get out of control at times and needs to improve his decision making. In the half court, he needs to learn how to use his athleticism better to create shots for himself and others. His fast step allows him to get past a defender but struggles to makes plays after that. Simmons plays well off the ball and is and moves efficiently to put himself in position score. His outside shot tends to be slow and can be improved to help open up his driving ability.

On the defensive end, Simmons has all the ability to be an effective ball defender with his length. He has quick hands and feet that can make him a tough defender. He does not stay locked-in for the entire possession. His lack of weight makes it tough to defend much bigger guards. His lack of size could also be the reason he avoids making contact when defending. With his athletic ability, his rebounding could be more consistent. Simmons is a young player that needs to become more consistent before he is able to make an impact in the NBA. Hopefully, being around professionals all of the time will help Simmons realize what type of effort is needed each play to be successful.

Myke Henry

College: DePaul

6’6” 238 lbs.

Signed as a 2016 undrafted free agent by the Grizzlies

Signed 2-way contract: January 13, 2018

Current G-League stats: 16.4 ppg / 5.2 rpg / 2.2 apg / 38 games

Current NBA Stats: 5.4 ppg / 1.7 rpg / 1.1 apg / 15 games

Myke Henry is a late bloomer that was not on many NBA teams radar in college. He has worked hard and has truly earned everything he has gotten in basketball. He has a strong work ethic that has helped open up some doors to the NBA. He is the type of player that will fill up a box score no matter how many minutes he plays. He is a good outside shooter that is not afraid to shoot the ball. Henry has a quick, high release on his jumper that makes his shot tough to block. He takes what the defense gives him and does not try to do anything out of his realm.

Henry is very active on defense and seems to always get a few deflections and/or steals every game. He uses his high energy on the defensive end. He has a knack for coming up with loose balls. He has a high motor and that helps him going after rebounds. He is comfortable being a role player in the NBA and he is the the type of player who will fill whatever role the team wants him to. He is definitely the type of player every NBA team needs to fill out a roster.