On Sunday, the G-League, which is the NBA’s developmental league, revealed the rosters for the Up Next Game. The Up Next Game is the G-League equivalent of the NBA’s All-Star Game. Moreover, this is a chance for fans and front-office personnel to view prospects who could be called up or drafted(off the Ignite).
G-League Up Next Game Overview
Up Next Game Details
The 2024 Up Next game will be the second annual Up Next game. The G-League held the first edition last year during last year’s All Star Weekend in Salt Lake City. This year’s edition will be played at the Indiana Convention Center on Sunday, February 18, at 1:30 PM ET. There will be 2 rosters of 14 players each for a total of 28 players selected to the game. 10 players were elected to the game via fan vote. The G-League itself selected the remaining 18 players. Of the 18 players, 8 players were selected from the G-League Ignite, a special exhibition team created by the NBA as an alternative to college basketball. The remaining 10 players were selected by the league from the other 27 teams in the G League.
Up Next Game Rosters
To begin with, the 10 players selected via the fan vote were:
- Javan Johnson(Santa Cruz Warriors)
- Ashton Hagans(Rip City Remix)
- Trevelin Queen(Osceola Magic)
- Skal Labissiere(Stockton Kings)
- Markquis Nowell(Raptors 905)
- Kevon Harris(Osceola Magic)
- Emoni Bates(Cleveland Charge)
- Quinndary Weatherspoon(South Bay Lakers)
- Luka Garza(Iowa Wolves)
Secondly, the 8 players selected from the G-League Ignite were:
- Izan Almansa, G League Ignite
- Matas Buzelis, G League Ignite
- Thierry Darlan, G League Ignite
- Ron Holland, G League Ignite
- London Johnson, G League Ignite
- Dink Pate, G League Ignite
- Babacar Sane, G League Ignite
- Tyler Smith, G League Ignite
Finally, the 10 non-G League Ignite players selected by the G-League were:
- Dominick Barlow, Austin Spurs
- Darius Bazley, Delaware Blue Coats
- JD Davison, Maine Celtics
- Collin Gillespie, Grand Rapids Gold
- Keyontae Johnson, Oklahoma City Blue
- Kenneth Lofton Jr., Delaware Blue Coats
- Jermaine Samuels, Rio Grande Valley Vipers
- Cole Swider, Sioux Falls Skyforce
- Ethan Thompson, Mexico City Capitanes
- Oscar Tshiebwe, Indiana Mad Ants
- Alondes Williams, Sioux Falls Skyforce
Potential Standouts and Players to Watch Out For:
Many fans don’t pay attention to the G-League, which is fair. However, more dedicated fans should at the very least familiarize themselves with the top players in the league. Significantly, those top players have a good chance of becoming the draft picks and depth pieces of your favorite NBA team’s future. For example, some notable players who spent significant time in the G-League are Jalen Green(Ignite), Jordan Poole(Santa Cruz Warriors), Pascal Siakam(Raptors 905), and Khris Middleton(Fort Wayne Mad Ants).
The potential top player to watch out for is Ron Holland of the G-League Ignite. He is a projected top 3 overall pick of the 2024 draft. Holland is averaging 20.2 PPG, as well as 6.2 RPG and 3.1 APG in the G-League. He has impressed scouts and experts alike for being able to put up these stats against the relatively tougher competition of the G-League as compared to college basketball.
Another prospect to watch out for is Matas Buzelis of the G- League Ignite. He is a projected lottery pick in the 2024 draft. The 6’8 Lithuanian SG/SF is averaging 12.0 PPG and 6.1 RPG. There are questions about his passive mentality. However, his shooting and defense have convinced many teams that he’s the real deal.
A third player that is a potential standout is one that many Grizzlies fans will be familiar with: Kenny Lofton Jr of the Delaware Blue Coats. The one-time Memphis prospect is the league leader in PPG at 25.3. He is on a 2 way contract with the 76ers. Due to his impressive G-League performance and the 76ers propensity to accrue injuries, there is a very good chance the Sixers will call up Lofton to be a depth piece later in the season.
Finally, the last player to watch out for is Cole Swider of the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Significantly, Swider is the 2nd highest PPG scorer in the G-League(25.2 PPG), only 0.1 PPG behind Lofton Jr. Swider is on a two-way contract with the Miami Heat. Since the Heat’s impressive player development pipeline has produced results like Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson, there is a good chance fans of the Heat and their rivals will be hearing the name Cole Swider very often in the near future.
Another player that you might hear about in the near future is journeyman depth piece Quinndary Weatherspoon who spent time in the NBA with the Warriors and Spurs. Furthermore, Darius Bazley spent years in the NBA with the Thunder and Suns. If your favorite NBA team suffers repeated injuries and needs more players, there is a better than decent chance that either Weatherspoon or Bazley will be one of those replacement players.
