As someone who loves symmetry, the NBA G League’s 31-team lineup has been bugging me for a while.
Don’t misunderstand – I love the Association’s developmental circuit. Once ESPN+ began televising games in 2018, I watched as many as I could. (The Brooklyn Nets are my favorite NBA team, so I cheered for the G League’s Long Island Nets until my hometown Birmingham Squadron – affiliates of the New Orleans Pelicans – came along in 2021).
I won’t say it became an obsession, but I won’t say it didn’t become an obsession.
Still, there was something missing – namely a farm club for the Phoenix Suns. While the G League Ignite and Capitanes de Ciudad de Mexico (Mexico City Captains) are independent and unique, every other G League club had a parent.
Starting next season, the franchise repping Arizona’s capital will be childless no more as the Suns will own and operate a G League team located in the Phoenix metro area.
“We are honored to welcome Mat Ishbia and the Phoenix Suns to the NBA G League, and are thrilled to achieve our long-stated goal that each of the 30 NBA teams has an NBA G League affiliate,” NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim said in a statement. “The NBA G League has never been more valuable to NBA teams than it is today, and the Suns’ investment only reinforces that reality. I can’t wait to join fans in the Valley next season to enjoy the unique brand of NBA G League basketball.”
That’s boiler plate stuff from Abdur-Rahim, but no less true.
The G League is an extremely valuable asset to the big league, and is, indeed, a unique brand.
One of their biggest points of pride is the fact that nearly 60 percent of NBA players have G League experience. During the 2022-23 campaign, 49 players were called up.
Of course, having two-way contracts (allowing a player to play up to 50 games with an NBA team during a season) means the guy you watch in a Thursday G League game might be on a big-league court on Sunday.
Trey Jemison was a rebounding machine for the Squadron. It put him on the radar of the Washington Wizards, who signed him to a 10-day contract, and then the Memphis Grizzlies, who offered the same deal.
Memphis was so impressed with him that they inked him to a two-way pact, and now the young man who began his pro career in Birmingham has already scored points and cleaned glass in an NBA regular season contest.
Oh, and eight current NBA head coaches (including Atlanta’s Quin Snyder and Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault) coached in the G League first. That’s impressive.
However, it’s the innovative rules that make it such a great fan experience – at least for me.
My favorite is the One Free Throw Rule, which has been part of the league since 2019. During the first 46 minutes of a game, only one charity toss is taken in all free throw situations. A two-shot foul gets you one shot worth two points, and if a guy is fouled while attempting (and missing) a 3-pointer, one successful freebie is worth three points.
During the last two minutes of a contest and overtime, standard NBA free throw rules apply.
This streamlined approach really speeds up games, and it’s rare when one takes more than two hours to complete.
My second favorite innovation? The “Elam Ending,” or target score finish to overtime. If a game is tied at the end of regulation, the first team to score seven points in the extra point is the winner.
Such experimental rules aren’t just done for kicks; the Coach’s Challenge and 14 Second Shot Clock Reset on offensive rebounds were tried in the G and later adopted by the NBA.
And you can also give the farm system a bit of credit for the new in-season tourney in the NBA. Before a G League team starts on its 34-game regular season, it plays 16 games in the Showcase Cup Tournament.
If you’re a hardcore basketball fan, there’s too much to like about the G League to ignore it. It’s not just a proving ground for future NBA stars, but it offers the next-best thing to NBA quality.
As part of the All-Star Break this weekend, four teams of G League players will compete in the NBA G League Next Up Game today, which is actually four teams squaring off in two semifinals. There are 28 players participating, with 10 selected by fan vote.
Each team will be coached by a member of the Indiana Mad Ants staff.
G League teams won’t return to regular season action until next Thursday. Once they do, it’ll be a mad dash to the March 30 finish, followed by single elimination playoffs.
Do yourself a favor and check out a game – any game. If you have a favorite NBA team, it’s fun to follow the progress of their affiliate. And since all 30 will be matched up with developmental squads next winter, a great league will be even better.
The G League might not become your next sports obsession like it did for me, but I’ll bet you’ll find watching it is time well-spent.