The NBA announced today that it will revamp its G League Elite Camp, which occurs just before the annual draft combine in Chicago. According to an official press release, the event will replace the G League Elite Mini Camp and will give NBA teams an additional opportunity to scout draft-eligible prospects. It will take place between May 12-14 this spring.
In previous years, the NBA’s G League Elite Mini Camp, which began in 2010, simply showcased several of the top performers from the NBAGL. That aspect of the event will still exist, but G League players will only participate in the first two days of the event.
The second half of the event will feature 40 draft-eligible prospects who aren’t among the 60 prospects invited to the actual draft combine. The list of participants will be determined by an NBA team vote, and those prospects will work out and scrimmage during the final two days of the event — there will be no overlap with the G League portion of the event.
According to the NBA’s announcement, some of the top performers among those 40 draft-eligible prospects in the G League Elite Camp will be invited to participate in the combine itself.
As Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com notes in his report, the number of players testing the draft waters has increased significantly in recent years, and most of those prospects don’t receive invitations to the combine. Revamping the G League Elite Camp will give teams the chance to take a closer look at 40 additional draft-eligible prospects, and will also provide those players with an opportunity to get more feedback from NBA evaluators.
“We’re thrilled to introduce the NBA G League Elite Camp as an essential addition to our comprehensive evaluation process of potential NBA and NBA G League talent,” new NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim said in a statement. “This event will provide more players with exposure as they enter the next phase of their careers.”
Good. Another step towards functional minor leagues