The NBA announced Thursday that it will end the G League Ignite program after just four seasons. In the 2023-24 season, Ignite currently has a record of 4 wins and 28 losses, exceeding expectations. A young team full of NBA prospects got a big wake-up call in three games when they lost 158-99 to the Salt Lake City Stars on Nov. 13.
“We've overcome the challenges of playing against NBA players who play in the G League,” Ignite forward Matas Bouselis told Yahoo Sports. “College players don't get to experience that kind of hardship, they don't know what it's like to play against the pros, so they play games in the G League with players who are playing to support their families. When you do that, it's a big deal.'' It's definitely different than playing in college. ”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed Ignite's current status during last month's All-Star Weekend, saying the league was re-evaluating the program due to changes to the NCAA's name, image and likeness (NIL) policy and transfer portal.
“The players who felt it was unfair and didn't want to be one-and-done players were given the ability to not only make a living playing basketball, but to do commercial deals that weren't available to them in college. They wanted it. They now have opportunities they didn't have in college, like hiring a professional agent.”
Ignite has been successful in recruiting big-time players in their first three years. In its first season in 2020, the program acquired top high school recruits Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga. Both players were lottery picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, with Green going No. 2 to the Houston Rockets and Kuminga going No. 7 to the Golden State Warriors. The following year, Scoot Henderson signed a two-year contract reportedly worth $1 million. The 6-foot-3 guard was the No. 3 pick in last year's draft and currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers. Overall, Ignite has drafted his 10 players and their development up until this season has been relatively positive.
On paper heading into this season, Ignite had the youngest talent since the program's inception in 2020. There are eight draft-eligible players in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft, plus a top-40 high school recruit on a two-year contract who will not be eligible until the 2025 NBA Draft. Ron Holland was originally active in Texas, but decided to quit and join the Ignite program last April.
Holland, Buzelis, Tyler Smith and Izan Almanza are all potential first-round picks this year. Holland and Bouzelis are both projected lottery picks, but the game was so lopsided in scoring and was a promotion game at the NBA level that scouts have been tracking their progress and hope they will be drafted at the NBA level. I have a hard time predicting what kind of player he will be. times. Holland announced in February that he would end the season and undergo surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right thumb. He averaged 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.3 steals to close out the game.
The big question remains as to where they will turn for the rest of the draft-eligible players.
Thierry Darlan, Babacar Sane and London Johnson will likely go through the pre-draft process this year and try to increase their draft stock while playing against players their age at May's NBA Draft combine. There's no pressure to remain in this year's draft, but for a program that prided itself on developing youth before entering the league, Ignite's closure leaves half of its young players in limbo.
Pate's options are a little more limited. Since he signed a two-year contract as a pro, he obviously won't be eligible to play college ball next year and will have to find a team overseas, join Overtime Elite (a semi-pro league located in Atlanta), or maybe another. will join the G League team.
Australia's National Basketball League has been a great alternative route for young draft candidates. Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball and Heat guard RJ Hampton both chose to play in the NBL a year before the NBA Draft. This year, predicted No. 1 pick Alex Sarr is playing for the Perth Wildcats. Bobbi Klintman, AJ Johnson and Trentin Flowers also opted to play a season in Australia this year before entering the draft.
Overtime Elite started a program similar to Ignite as an alternative pro route for high school players. When the NCAA's NIL rules went into effect, they changed their tune and now allow both players who want to maintain their college eligibility and players who want to forego college and receive a professional salary. OTE has already had success with early drafts, with Armen and Orser Thompson playing two years in Atlanta. The twins were selected consecutively in fourth and fifth picks in last year's draft.
Pate missed half the season returning from a foot injury, but despite being the youngest player on the team (and the youngest player in the G League), he was the Ignite's best defensive wing and showed great growth. He was a promising player with great potential. The 6-8 wing appeared in 27 games this season, averaging 6.9 points and 3.5 assists in 22 minutes. He uses his athleticism to transition from defense to offense very quickly and gets the ball up the court quickly. He's a player NBA scouts will be keeping an eye on next season to see where he goes next season in the lead-up to the 2025 NBA Draft.
The NBA needed to do something with the Ignite program after an embarrassing season with limited fans attending games. The players' frustration continued to rise, as they continued to lose to players and teams that were older and stronger than them night after night. It wasn't fair to personal growth. It's unclear what Pate and his teammates will do next after their last game on March 28th. In his four years in the NBA, he had some success with Ignite, but could no longer compete with the changing landscape of the college basketball world due to the transfer portal and his NIL growth. With the next draft still wide open, it will be interesting to see where the Ignite players fall after such a disastrous final season.
