G League Sioux Falls Skyforce

Behind the Scenes of an NBA Call-Up, Part One: The Rookies

February 14, 2022 - NBA G League (G League)
Sioux Falls Skyforce News Release


This season, due to COVID-19, 101 players earned 120 call-ups to the NBA, which is a G League record. This two-part series is an in-depth look at how the process works and what it means for players to fulfill childhood dreams. We start with the two Skyforce rookies.

Getting to the NBA G League is an incredible feat. Only a very small percentage of kids with dreams of being in the NBA even get that far. For the ones who do make it to the G League, they are not satisfied with only making it there. They are ravenous for a shot at making it on an NBA roster.

"Our job, our responsibility is to develop these men to get them prepared for not only competing at the NBA level, but also for life in general," head coach Kasib Powell said. "As a coach, the duty to lead them in the right way and guide them through is a great responsibility that I'm happy to have."

Everyone in the G League has their own story and their own set of circumstances. For a majority of the players on the Skyforce roster this year, that circumstance is being young and fresh out of college. That makes it much more impressive that Javonte Smart and Micah Potter got called up to the big stage this season.

"Getting a call-up is always a special moment," Powell said. "You instantly get so happy for them, so excited for them. You're there for that phone call and you're either talking to their parents or agents. It is always a special moment, something that I hold close to my heart with all the guys that get called up. Their dreams come true and I'm in there with them living that moment with them."

On November 30, 2021, Smart signed a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks and was with the team until January 13, 2022. His play with the Skyforce to start the 2021 Showcase Cup is what solidified the opportunity, as he averaged 22 points on 49.4 percent shooting in five games. In his final game, he set a career-high 36-point outburst in a victory over Grand Rapids.

Smart went on to play in 13 games for the Bucks and even notched a starting role against the Cleveland Cavaliers on December 18, recording four points, four assists and two blocks in 44 minutes.

"I didn't know what to do. That was like a dream come true," Smart said. "I worked so hard to get to the NBA because that's where I want to play. I worked so hard every single day on this journey. They gave me an opportunity and I appreciate everything."

On December 29, Potter signed a 10-day contract with the Detroit Pistons. He was the 100th 10-day hardship signing of the season.

Potter played in three games for the Pistons, with his best performance coming against the Charlotte Hornets on January 5, where he scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds in just 15:44 minutes of work.

"It was really kind of surprising," Potter said. "I was out doing errands with my wife and my agent called and said, 'Hey you got to go home and pack your bags because you're going to Detroit'. It was a whirlwind of emotions. Obviously, your dreams of making the NBA come true and then you're like 'Oh man, I've got to go.' It was crazy, but it was a lot of fun."

Potter, a 23-year-old and is married, is watching his career blossom into something special. It is safe to argue that Potter is more of an adult and put together than most 23-year-olds. But there is no debate that the little kid in him came out when he got that call from Detroit.

"Being in the locker room and seeing my name on an NBA jersey for the first time, taking pictures and videos, you feel like a kid," Potter said. "It's kind of weird because you go in and you're taking all these pictures with guys who have been there and done that before, but I'm always going to try and take that stuff all in and remember it. I'm going to save these pictures and videos to show my future kids and grandkids. It was my first time being in the NBA officially and it was a dream come true."

Smart, a 22-year-old, could not deny that it was everything he had dreamed of since he was little, but he did his best to try and keep his giddiness in check.

"I'm not much of a picture guy," Smart said. "But every day I was there was special. I'm a young guy and I'm watching how they get at it every day. I'm seeing their work ethic, seeing them play the game and I'm able to play with them."

Both Smart and Potter made it to the NBA stage and lived out their childhood dreams and took in memories that will stick with them forever. For Potter, scoring his first bucket will run on replay in his mind forever.

"My first bucket was really cool," Potter said. "Obviously getting your first bucket in the NBA is a big deal. It happened in the first game I played in, in the first couple of minutes, so that was awesome. Overall, though, just being with the team, getting to know those guys and build a relationship with them was so cool. I loved competing and practicing with them. It was so much fun."

For Smart, he will always remember that he shared the court with the defending NBA Champions and got to play with the dynamic duo of Jrue Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

"I used to watch Jrue Holiday's highlights a lot, so being in the locker room and the court with him, and being his teammate was unbelievable," Smart said. "Giannis is one of the best players in the world right now and that's crazy to me being his teammate. Those guys were great. They were unbelievable teammates and they looked out for me as a rookie."

Javonte Smart in his two first games as a Buck:

- 7.0 PPG

- 3.5 RPG

- 2.0 APG

- 59.5 TS%

- 50.0 FG%

- 19.5 MPG pic.twitter.com/DzPhA1jCyg

- TheJohnnyWeeknd (@TheJohnnyWeeknd) December 7, 2021

To get called up to the NBA, the stars have to align. There needs to be an opportunity in a role that the player can step into and excel in. For Potter, the stars not only aligned for his big opportunity, but some divine intervention took place.

Potter not only got to take his wife with him on his 10-day contract experience, but each game he played in, he had family in the stands cheering him on.

"It was such a big deal to bring my wife with me," Potter said. "My first two games were in Detroit, which is three hours from my hometown [Mentor, Ohio]. My next game was in Milwaukee where my wife grew up. So, my family got to go to the first two games, and her family got to go to that game in Milwaukee. My final game was in Charlotte, and I have a bunch of close extended family about an hour away. I think it was a God thing, where all the locations of each game were by some family so they could come watch me play. That was a really big deal for me."

Both Potter and Smart are back with the Sioux Falls Skyforce and grinding to get the team into the playoff hunt. They are both playing consistently good basketball, with Smart averaging 19.6 points on 38 percent shooting and 5.1 rebounds. Potter has six double doubles so far this season, which outlasts all his teammates combined. While they are excited to be back, they are hungry for another shot on the NBA stage.

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"Once they get a taste of the NBA, it makes them want to get back there," Powell said. "They see the things that helped them get there, so I think they're eager to come back and do those things over so they can get that shot again. These guys [Potter and Smart] came back with great spirits and have become the ultimate teammates."

For Potter, the key to getting back to the NBA is to win with the Skyforce and maintain his consistent level of play.

"You're always hungry to get back," Potter said. "Obviously, right now, we're focused on winning here and I think that's a big deal for us. I must stay consistently productive. That's really all you can do is be consistently productive. You're not going to score 20 points every game, but doing the little things, trying to be efficient, playing good defense and rebounding the ball should help the team win."

For Smart, his recipe for success is to stick to his roots and not change who he is or how he plays the game.

"I just have to keep playing and be myself," Smart said. "I won't let anyone knock my confidence. I'm going to keep going. I am a hard worker and I've got to get to it. I want to be an NBA All-Star someday."

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NBA G League Stories from February 14, 2022


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