The NBA's G League Ignite started their regular season last Friday after competing in a preseason slate that saw them go against the Perth Wildcats and compete in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup. After the Ignite saw four players selected in the 2023 NBA draft -- highlighted by Scoot Henderson going No. 3 overall to the Portland Trail Blazers -- this year's roster is the deepest in the program's four-year history.
Ron Holland and Matas Buzelis are currently projected as the Nos. 1 and 3 picks in Jonathan Givony's most recent 2024 NBA mock draft. Holland, a 6-foot-8 forward from Duncanville (Texas) High School, decommited from Texas in April and signed with Ignite. Buzelis, a 6-10 guard at Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas, signed with Ignite in June 2022 and bypassed playing college basketball.
The draft talent doesn't stop there as there are six other players in contention to be selected next year and beyond.
Givony previews what to expect this season from Ignite after, what we learned in the preseason and how the team plans to handle having a roster full of talent that needs the basketball to shine.
What should we expect from G League Ignite in Year 4?
Ignite has fortified itself as a top-tier option for the most elite prospects both domestically and internationally, reeling in easily its deepest and most talented roster. The franchise also placed greater emphasis on adding competitiveness and unselfishness in addition to talent and projected high draft picks.
With 55 games scheduled, Ignite will play its most games to date, and that doesn't include any potential postseason competition. The schedule includes five preseason games (Perth Wildcats and the FIBA Intercontinental Cup), 16 Showcase Cup games (mid-November to mid-December), 32 regular-season games (late December to late March) and two games at the G League Winter Showcase (Dec. 19-22 in Orlando).
By comparison, previous iterations of Ignite played 52 games last season, 30 in 2021-22, and 18 in 2020-21.
This group of players has also been training together all summer, spending the past few months together in Las Vegas and several weeks in Los Angeles competing against NBA-caliber competition at the Rico Hines private runs at UCLA -- some of the best off-season pickup games in the country. Ignite is hoping the additional time the players have spent together has both given the players a valuable development component for sharpening their skill set, as well as helping build chemistry G League teams (who come together usually in late October) don't usually enjoy.
Expect NBA teams to spend a considerable amount of time in Las Vegas this season scouting Ignite in practices, exhibitions and regular-season play. They'll have an opportunity to evaluate its players in a variety of competitions and lineup configurations all season long.
How did the Ignite do in the preseason?
The Ignite played five September games over two preseason events, giving scouts a taste of what makes their prospects interesting, as well as what the players need to improve to maximize their draft stock.
It started with splitting two home games versus the Perth Wildcats, which served as somewhat of a coming-out party for 7-foot-1 French big man Alex Sarr, as well as projected No. 1 pick Holland.
A few weeks later at the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Singapore, Ignite dropped two games to Egypt's Al Ahly and eventual event champions Franca from Brazil. Ignite rebounded with a blowout win in the fifth-place game versus Manama from Bahrain, where Holland and Babacar Sane had their best games of the tournament. Buzelis did not play because of an ankle injury suffered in practice while in Singapore and is still sidelined.
The preseason showed Ignite will have to find a balance between developing its younger players and trying to play coherent, competitive basketball if their goal is to win games this season. A lot of attention will be on starting point guard London Johnson and his ability to run the team effectively and take the next step as a playmaker and decision-maker after a shaky start to the preseason.
Holland is the alpha and go-to guy of this team, bringing insatiable energy defensively while attacking the rim relentlessly in the open court and never shying away from hunting jumpers on the perimeter. Provided he can make reasonably good decisions and score with decent efficiency, this will likely be a strong platform for him to continue to develop his game and showcase his offensive potential to complement his excellent defensive prowess.
Buzelis' outlook on this squad is a little less clear, partially because we only saw him play in two of the team's five games. He made shots effectively and had a few highlight-reel moments attacking the rim, but he struggled defensively and didn't bring much intensity or physicality on either end of the floor, areas where scouts want to see more from him.
Izan Almansa was also up and down over the five games, at times coming off the bench and being relegated to spectator status offensively. It appears the coaching staff was still getting acclimated to figuring out how to best utilize him, as he's fairly heavily reliant on playing with a competent pick-and-roll point guard, the type of which the Ignite does not currently have on its roster.
Tyler Smith looked like he has an opportunity to make a significant impact on this roster with his length, explosiveness, defensive versatility and budding spot-up shooting, having some strong preseason moments at different points. The up-and-down nature of the G League should benefit him, especially if he can continue to make strides with his feel for the game, intensity level and overall consistency.
Is this Ignite's best roster to date?
Easily.
Ignite begins the cycle with the projected top-2 picks in the 2024 NBA draft along with Almansa, who is currently projected No. 7 in the ESPN Top 100 prospect rankings.
Ignite has never had more than two players picked in the first round, let alone three in the top 10, with its best outcome to date coming in the 2020-21 campaign where Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga were selected No. 2 and No. 7 overall, followed by Isaiah Todd at No. 31.
Ignite has also never had someone like Holland before: A player who raises his team's level of intensity every time he steps on the court with the energy and relentless aggressiveness he displays. He'll guard the other team's best player, make everyone around him better with unselfish nature and challenge teammates and opponents with the toughness and competitiveness he brings on every possession.
One of the big criticisms NBA teams had about Ignite, and specifically their best player Scoot Henderson last year, was the fact that the team simply didn't play very hard for long stretches. That shouldn't be an issue with Holland setting the tone.
While there's little doubt about how high Holland's floor is, NBA teams still need to learn more about his ceiling -- specifically, how skilled and prolific a scorer they can project him to be long-term. Holland has never been known as a great shooter and we'll have to see how efficient a half-court shot-creator and decision-maker he is playing against men this season. As much as Holland contributes to winning, picking a prospect who projects as a likely role-player in the top three isn't ideal, but great alternatives haven't emerged at this stage. There's still time for Holland to show he has more offensive ability than he gets credit for.
Buzelis should complement Holland well. A 6-foot-10 guard who made 43% of his 3-pointers at Sunrise Christian Academy last season, Buzelis can play on or off the ball with his strong ballhandling, passing and feel for the game. He also plays with competitiveness and strong timing defensively off the ball but has some questions to answer about how his thin frame can handle the physicality of the professional game on both ends of the floor, as well as how heavy a playmaking role he projects to play at the NBA level.
Almansa appears to be another strong fit with the team's roster, bringing even more winning intangibles, unselfishness, competitiveness and defensive intelligence. He was named MVP of the FIBA U19 World Cup after guiding Spain to a gold medal in July, his third time winning MVP at a FIBA event after the U17 World Cup and U18 European Championship a year ago.
Almansa has dominated international players in his age group with his excellent skill level and feel for the game with his back to the basket. He operates out of the pick-and-roll and crashes the offensive glass, but will likely be asked to show different sides of his game with Ignite. Teams will probably want to see growth with his outside shot, as well as his ability to guard quicker players in space on the perimeter. He isn't currently known as a great rim-protector.
Who are the other names to know and what are their draft expectations?
Holland, Buzelis and Almansa are the headliners, but there are five other prospects on this roster vying to hear their names called in the NBA draft either this year or beyond.
Johnson returns for a second Ignite season, hoping to solidify himself as a draft pick. He struggled to score efficiently or show standout talent as a decision-maker, passer, finisher or defender in his debut campaign last season. After weighing just 163 pounds at the Nike Hoop Summit in April (where he had a lackluster showing), how much growth Johnson displays physically and skill-wise will help determine both his long-term ceiling and where he fits into the team's pecking order, which looks a lot more crowded this year.
Sane also returns to Ignite for a second season, after a transition year focused on helping him learn English and adjust to a completely different style of basketball than what he had encountered at the NBA Academy Africa in his home country of Senegal. On a roster filled with talented athletes, Sane is in a class of his own from a physical standpoint, sporting a chiseled frame, exceptional explosiveness, and a huge 7-2 wingspan that allows him to play bigger than his 6-7 height. He had some outstanding highlights last season getting downhill in the open court, punishing bad closeouts, jumping over opponents crashing the offensive glass, and making plays defensively with his quickness and length. He was mostly a net negative overall, however, due to his raw skill level, adventurous shot selection, inconsistent motor and lack of experience on both ends of the floor. Cutting down on mistakes and showing he can contribute to winning by playing a more efficient style on both ends could help him make a case as a late first-round pick, but if not, staying another year with the program to continue his development might be a strong option for the soon-to-be 20-year-old as well.
Smith joins Almansa from Overtime Elite and may have the widest variance of outcomes for where his draft stock might ultimately end up depending on the season he has. Smith has all the tools NBA scouts look for physically at 6-10 with an impressive frame and wingspan, as well as promising signs of shot-making prowess and defensive versatility. Big wings in his mold aren't that easy to find, but Smith's feel for the game and all-around consistency looked like a major work in progress on both ends of the floor everywhere he's been seen the past two years. He played a fairly inefficient, mistake-prone style in which his productivity, awareness and consistency waned dramatically. Considering he's still only 18 years old, he has a long runway to continue to show improvement and solidify himself as a prospect worth investing in. Being drafted in the first round is strongly within the realm of possibility due to the considerable tools and talent he displays.
Thierry Darlan is another prospect who scouts diverge sharply about. As a supersized guard who stands over 6-7 with a 7-1 wingspan and terrific frame, Darlan looks like a lottery pick on first glance and will play like one too at times, showing terrific pace, live-dribble passing, shot-making versatility and intriguing long-term upside. While his highlights can be enticing, Darlan would regularly post double-digit turnover efforts in an outsized role with the NBA Academy Africa, which included wild swings of intensity defensively and underwhelming explosiveness as a shot-creator and finisher. He'll likely be asked to play a different role for Ignite, flush with ball handlers, which will be good for his long-term development and show he can play more of a 3-and-D style role as his feel for the game catches up to his physical tools.
Darlan, like all Ignite prospects, isn't bound by the old rules of the NBA collective bargaining, which previously forced players into the first NBA draft they were eligible for. This means he can stay multiple years with the program if he needs another season to maximize his draft stock.
Dink Pate, the youngest player in G League Ignite history at 17 (he doesn't turn 18 until March and won't be draft-eligible until 2025 at the earliest) elected to graduate a year early to join the team and will likely play a complementary role in his debut season as he makes the steep adjustment from high school to the pro game. Nevertheless, Pate will be monitored closely by NBA executives this season as he boasts enviable tools for someone who played on the ball as much as he did in high school while standing 6-8 with an impressive frame. He showed dynamic perimeter shooting and live-dribble passing ability but was a major work in progress as a decision-maker and perimeter defender even against lower levels of competition. He will likely need to adjust to a different role with Ignite on a team flush with playmaking.
Is there enough basketball to go around on this roster?
That's certainly the biggest question NBA scouts have. It's not easy building a platform to showcase the strengths of a handful of players, like Ignite has mostly done the past few years, let alone eight at the same time. It's never tried to get more than four players picked in the same draft. The expectation prospects have when they sign with Ignite is they will be given unlimited playing time and opportunity and a green light to work through their struggles without having to worry about being held accountable for poor shot selection or defensive mistakes.
That has also been the biggest criticism NBA teams have of the team as a developmental tool -- wins and losses don't matter, and the intensity level of games can often be lackluster. Are players developing bad habits that will make it difficult for them to flip the switch when they need to play a different, more winning style of basketball?
Those criticisms may have played a role in Ignite's three main prospects -- Henderson, Leonard Miller and Sidy Cissoko -- going lower in last year's draft than they had likely envisioned when they joined the program. There's a lot at stake this year after the two highest ranked recruits the previous year -- Jaden Hardy and Michael Foster Jr. -- went No. 37 and undrafted, respectfully. Ignite has had a good amount of success stories -- Dyson Daniels, MarJon Beauchamp, Mojave King -- but none of them have been traditional one-and-done US high school recruits: the bread and butter of where Ignite recruits from typically.
Will there be enough shots to keep everyone happy? Are there too many players on this roster who need the ball in their hands to be successful? Is the roster too perimeter heavy? We'll start to learn more about that in Vegas this week against Perth. As mentioned, Ignite has done a better job of recruiting this year, placing a larger emphasis on competitiveness and unselfishness among its best players. Any team with Holland, Almansa and Buzelis as its core won't be pushovers regardless of the opponent. How the other five players fare and what that means for their individual draft stock will be very interesting to track, though.
Will there be load management?
That appears to be the plan we've been told. It seems we won't get that many games with all eight prospects suiting up at the same time. Sources tell ESPN players have been told to expect to play around 30-35 games, which will provide opportunities for different players to be focal points of a game plan on different nights. It might provide an opportunity for the likes of Darlan, Smith or Pate to show what they can do as the team's primary ball handler, on nights that Holland and/or Buzelis sit.
In addition to the eight prospects on the team, Ignite has also announced the signing of five veteran players to provide depth, leadership and experience:
• Eric Mika: 28-year-old center from BYU, who played an important role for Ignite last year providing defensive muscle, passing and physicality on the interior. He could very well be the team's starting center and an important piece again, which allows Almansa to develop his power forward skills.
• John Jenkins: 32-year-old wing from Vanderbilt who averaged 18 PPG for Ignite last year, shooting 42% for 3 on significant volume. He's a high-level scorer who is good enough to play anywhere in the world virtually outside the NBA.
• David Stockton: 32-year-old Gonzaga alum who was fourth in the G League last season averaging 8.5 APG for Fort Wayne. He's an unselfish, highly intelligent floor general who will bring execution, savvy and experience in practice and games.
• Jeremy Pargo: 37-year-old scoring guard from Gonzaga has been a bucket-getter all over the globe, including the NBA, EuroLeague, Spain, Israel and China.
• Admon Gilder: 27-year-old wing who shot 37% for 3 at Texas A&M and Gonzaga and is primarily known for his defense.
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams.