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NBA D-League Update

Published on December 27, 2013 under NBA G League (G League) News Release


BROTHERS IN BUCKETS

The older brother is on pace to become the first NBA player in over 20 years to average at least 24 points and nine assists in a season.

The younger brother, well, he's only getting started. Literally.

Better late than never for Seth Curry, signed by the Memphis Grizzlies this week from the Santa Cruz Warriors after averaging 21.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.58 steals on .439 shooting in 37.3 minutes over 12 games (11 starts) for Warriors this season.

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors has, of course, developed into one of the best all-around guards in the NBA. Their father, Dell Curry, played 16 seasons in the NBA and shot over 40 percent for his career from three-point range.

Seth Curry went undrafted in the 2013 following his senior season at Duke, where he ranked second in the ACC in scoring (17.5 ppg) and three-point field goal percentage (.438) and garnered First Team All-ACC and Second Team All-America honors. He averaged 21.0 points in four games during the 2013 NCAA Tournament, including a 29-point performance in a Sweet 16 victory over Michigan State.

Curry played the majority of the season with a right lower leg injury, which kept him out of the majority of the Blue Devils' practices. He had surgery to repair the injury on April 15, 2013, but his draft stock clearly took a hit. In fairness, Curry was viewed as a possible second-round pick, so the fact he wasn't drafted wasn't a major surprise.

Said a scout of his game during his senior campaign: "Curry's whole game is built around buying him a little bit of daylight to get off his three-point shots. ACC teams are trying to blanket him on the catch, and he has responded with stop-and-go moves as well as using his opposite hand to fend off defenders. He does not have the quickness to beat most defenders off the dribble but he is a savvy, old-school player who knows how to get his shots. He's withstood myriad ankle and shin problems all year. Time will tell how this affects him going forward."

Curry has quickly answered some doubts about his game, scoring at a high clip with Santa Cruz, while also getting teammates involved to the tune of almost eight assists per contest. Similar to his brother, though not on the same level, Curry is a shooter/scorer first, but has a strong feel for the game and how to play within the flow of the team concept. He also appears to have improved his body and his quickness.

How much of an opportunity he gets in Memphis remains to be seen. The Grizzlies, coming off a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2013, have taken a step back this season, thanks in large part to an early-season injury to All-NBA center Marc Gasol. Memphis recently snatched James Johnson from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, and the early returns on that move have been strong, with Johnson averaging 7.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in five games.

Prospect Report

Reggie Williams, Tulsa 66ers -- That Williams is back in the NBA D-League and not giving an NBA team a lift off the bench with his old school, workman-like game is a mild surprise, given the fact Williams averaged 8.6 points in 177 NBA games over the last four seasons split with the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Bobcats. He signed with Houston in the offseason and went to training camp, but failed to secure a roster spot, and is back where it all started in 2010, when Williams used a strong showing in the NBA D-League to break down the NBA's doors. Williams is James Harden-light, in that he's lefty and has that smooth offensive feel you really can't teach (he led the nation in scoring twice while at VMI). After signing a two-year deal with the Bobcats in 2011, Williams seemingly had arrived for good, but injuries limited his production in Charlotte, and he was left scrambling for another opportunity. In his first game with the 66ers, Williams had it all going, finishing with 26 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals. More performances like this one will have NBA teams on high alert, if they're not on it already.

NEWS & NOTES

NBADLeague.com's Prospect Watch: Climbing Up

Consider his breathtaking athletic ability at 7-0, 239 pounds, and the fact that he started playing basketball six years ago, and you see why Dewayne Dedmon is such a tantalizing prospect. He never had the breakthrough at USC that coach Kevin O'Neill expected when he called him "a first-round pick, no question," but with raw big men, you never know when the light bulb will turn on. The NBA D-League could be just the testing ground Dedmon needs.

AROUND THE D-LEAGUE

The Philadelphia 76ers have assigned guard Lorenzo Brown to the Delaware 87ers of the NBA Development League. Brown was a member of the Springfield Armor before signing as a free agent with the Sixers on Nov. 20. He was the third GATORADE Call-Up of the NBA D-League season. Brown has appeared in 13 games with the Sixers ... The Detroit Pistons have assigned rookie forward Tony Mitchell and rookie guard Peyton Siva to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League. Mitchell has appeared in 10 games this season with the Pistons, averaging 1.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in 4.0 minutes per game. He was drafted 37th overall this year out of North Texas where he led the Sun Belt Conference in blocks at 2.7 per game. Siva has appeared in 13 games this season with the Pistons averaging 0.3 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 5.8 minutes per game. Siva, the 56th selection in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft, won an NCAA Championship and was named to the Final Four All-Tournament Team as a senior at Louisville ... The Chicago Bulls have assigned guard Marquis Teague to the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League. Teague (6-2, 190) has appeared in 19 games (two starts) for the Bulls this season and averaged 2.4 points, 1.5 assists and 1.0 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per game. Teague was selected by Chicago in the first round (29th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft, after helping lead the University of Kentucky to the 2012 NCAA Championship.

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NBA G League Stories from December 27, 2013


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