Winning D-League MVP hasn’t exactly foretold NBA success. The full list:
- Vander Blue
- Jarnell Stokes
- Tim Frazier
- Ron Howard
- Othyus Jeffers
- Andrew Goudelock
- Justin Dentmon
- Curtis Stinson
- Mike Harris
- Courtney Sims
- Kasib Powell
- Randy Livingston
- Marcus Fizer
- Matt Carroll
- Tierre Brown
- Devin Brown
- Ansu Sesay
Devin Brown and Matt Carroll are probably the high points.
The Lakers hope Vander Blue will follow in their footsteps.
Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports:
Sources: The Lakers and G League MVP and summer league guard Vander Blue have agreed on a partially guaranteed deal.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 29, 2017
Chris Reichert of 2 Ways & 10 Days:
https://twitter.com/Chris_Reichert/status/891350419347087362
Blue will be the Lakers’ 15th player on a standard contract, the regular-season maximum. They could always sign additional players to battle for that final regular-season roster spot – especially with Blue having such a small guarantee. That looks like an enticement to stay with the Lakers’ minor-league affiliate rather than take a higher-paying job overseas.
The Lakers’ shooting-guard depth won’t help Blue’s chances of sticking. They already have Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jordan Clarkson and Josh Hart. The Lakers might prefer to use that final spot on a third point guard to join Lonzo Ball and Tyler Ennis, though Clarkson can swing to the position.
The 25-year-old Blue is a fringe NBA player who has spent time with the Lakers and Celtics. He’s a good ball-handler who draws plenty of fouls, and he’s a fine jump-shooter. His non-scoring skills still need work.
It would be unsurprising to see him stick into the regular season or re-join the D-Fenders.
