The Prospect Watch is NBADLeague.com’s weekly ranking of the Top 25 NBA prospects in the NBA’s official minor league.
Prospects are ranked based on their appeal as a potential GATORADE Call-Up to NBA teams – their ability to contribute to an NBA team both this season and beyond. A player must have appeared in an NBA D-League game to qualify.
Last season, a record 47 prospects received GATORADE Call-Ups, including Iowa Energy center Hassan Whiteside (Miami Heat), Westchester Knicks guard Langston Galloway (New York Knicks) and Grand Rapids Drive No. 1 overall draft pick Robert Covington (Philadelphia 76ers).
The rankings for the brand-new Prospect Watch for the 2015-16 season are determined by a panel of basketball experts from various aspects of the industry. Votes from all five panelists are tabulated each week and the prospects are ranked accordingly
Ryan Blake (@HoopsHighway) has helped direct scouting services for the NBA alongside his late father, Marty, since 1996. He marshals and compiles the complex data necessary for NBA teams to evaluate current and future NBA draft prospects, essentially advising teams who to see, how to see them, and who not to bother seeing. Blake began scouting at the age of 17 under the tutelage of his father, as well as other legendary coaches and scouts.
Jared Greenberg (@NBATVJared) serves as the nightly host on NBA TV’s ‘FanDuel Fantasy Tip-Off.’ He also works with some of the biggest names in basketball while hosting ‘GameTime,’ “Shaqtin’ A Fool” and “Making The Call.” Greenberg shares his passion for hoops each weekday afternoon on SIRIUSXM NBA Radio, working with NBA Champions, Rick Fox and Rick Mahorn on “Off The Dribble.” >> NBA TV Talent
Scott Howard-Cooper (@SHowardCooper) is a writer for NBA.com and a contributor to NBA TV with a focus on the draft and the Hall of Fame. He has covered professional and college basketball since 1988 for many of the largest outlets in the country. >> NBA.com Archive
Bob MacKinnon (@Coach_Mac4) has more than 30 years of coaching and scouting experience on the collegiate and professional levels, including stints with four different NBA D-League teams. As an NBA D-League coach, he has won an Eastern Division title, two Western Division titles and an NBA D-League title (2008-09). Thirteen players have earned a total of 17 NBA Call-Ups in MacKinnon’s five seasons as a head coach in the NBA D-League and he has an overall record of 137-113.
ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
Prospects include any NBA D-League player who is eligible to be called up to the NBA. All prospects, excluding the six Draft Rights Players in this year’s pool (listed below), are free agents who can be signed by any of the 30 NBA teams.
These Draft Rights Players, who are under contract with the NBA D-League but whose rights are exclusively owned by the NBA team that drafted them, include: Andrew Harrison (Memphis Grizzlies), Dakari Johnson (Oklahoma City Thunder), Tyler Harvey (Orlando Magic), Satnam Singh (Dallas Mavericks), Sir’Dominic Pointer (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Cady Lalanne (San Antonio Spurs).
Players eligible for the 2016 NBA Draft and players assigned to NBA D-League affiliates from NBA teams are not Call-Up-eligible and thus do not qualify for the Prospect Watch.
Players must have appeared in at least one game to be considered for Prospect Watch.
Delaware 87ers Guard RUSS SMITH (5) prepares to shoot free-throws in the second half of a NBA D-league regular season basketball game between the Delaware 87ers and the Maine Red Claws Friday, Feb. 05, 2016 at The Bob Carpenter Sports Convocation Center in Newark, DEL. Photo By Saquan Stimpson
BYU alumni JIMMER FREDETTE (16) sets up one defends in the second half of a NBA D-league regular season basketball game between the Delaware 87ers and the Westchester Knicks Saturday Dec, 26, 2015 at The Bob Carpenter Sports Convocation Center in Newark, DEL. Photo By Saquan Stimpson
Los Angeles D-Fenders VANDER BLUE (0) drives to the basket in the first half of a NBA D-league regular season basketball game between the Delaware 87ers and the Los Angeles D-Fenders Tuesday Dec, 29, 2015, at The Bob Carpenter Sports Convocation Center in Newark, DEL. Photo By Saquan Stimpson
Raptors 905 Forward RONALD ROBERTS, JR. (13) dunks the ball in the first half of a NBA D-league regular season basketball game between the Delaware 87ers and the Raptors 905 Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. at The Bob Carpenter Sports Convocation Center in Newark, DEL. Photo By Saquan Stimpson
Grand Rapids Drive Guard Lorenzo Brown (17) drives towards the lane in the first half of a NBA D-league regular season basketball game between the Delaware 87ers and the Grand Rapids Drive (Detroit Pistons) Friday, Jan. 09, 2015 at The Bob Carpenter Sports Convocation Center in Newark, DEL. Photo By Saquan Stimpson
THE SCORING SYSTEM
Each week, the five Prospect Watch panelists submit their personal rankings of the Top 25 prospects in the NBA D-League.
Each ranking is assigned a point value from 1 to 25, with the No. 1 spot being worth 25 points, the No. 2 spot being worth 24 points and so on through the No. 25 spot (1 point).
Point totals for each player are added up, and the players with the 25 highest scores are ranked from highest total to lowest total each week.
Ties are broken by:
1) Which player appeared on more ballots
2) Which player received the highest individual ranking
3) Which player is ranked higher on NBADLeague.com’s ballot
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