Every young NBA player that spends time in the G League is eventually asked some form of this question: “How did you deal with being sent down to the G League?”
The operative word here is “down.” There’s a heavy stigma around the G League, once known as the D League or Developmental League. It’s often seen as a basketball purgatory, where players who aren’t quite good enough to be in the NBA hang around for a while before being completely forgotten by the basketball world.
But, there are many who believe the G League should be used for its intended purpose, that it should be a place to foster development and give unproven players a place to get game reps before moving onto NBA play. Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy is someone who truly believes in the G League and wants to see it used more often.
Hardy started utilizing the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s G League affiliate, in his first year as a head coach. He sent Ochai Agbaji to the Stars to get him game reps while the rest of the Jazz roster was tweaked and massaged. He again used the G League last year with Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh, where they both spent time working on their game and bodies to prepare for tougher NBA competition.
This year, once again, Hardy has sought the use of the Stars to prepare his young players.
Cody Williams, the 10th overall pick of the 2024 NBA draft, was sent to the Stars on assignment on Nov. 25. At that point, Williams had played in 16 NBA games and even started in seven of those contests, but made little impact. As a result, he was getting swallowed by the competition and his minutes started to shrink.
“Cody needs opportunity,” Hardy said. “The role that he has with us was turning a little bit more into a 3-and-D wing, which is not what I think Cody is. This is an opportunity for him to play a lot, have the ball in his hands a little bit more, catch a little bit of a rhythm and kind of continue on his path of development and improvement. We’re not helping him as much, and he’ll spend a little time with the Stars and be back soon.”
Since then, Williams has been averaging 14.8 points and five rebounds per game while playing nearly 30 minutes a night. One of the things that Hardy mentioned was wanting Williams to be given some freedom on the court so that he isn’t playing so carefully, which is a tendency of young players when they reach the NBA.
“I’m loving the experience so far,” Williams told the Deseret News. “You just have to look at it the right way. It’s an adjustment, definitely not a demotion. It’s to get reps and to be ready when I do go back. I’m using it to play hard, get shots up, play good defense and just get back to feeling like myself.”
“You just have to look at it the right way. It’s an adjustment, definitely not a demotion. It’s to get reps and to be ready when I do go back. I’m using it to play hard, get shots up, play good defense and just get back to feeling like myself.”
— Utah Jazz rookie Cody Williams on his time playing for the SLC Stars
Similarly, Jazz rookie Isaiah Collier recently admitted that he was feeling a little off. Through 16 games with the Jazz he was shooting 14.8% (4 of 27) from 3-point range and his confidence was wavering. The Jazz sent him to the Stars on Dec. 9 and he scored 36 points while hitting 5 of 6 from 3.
“I’ll be honest, I shied away from being myself a little bit when I first came up, because I’m learning as well,” Collier said. “It’s a process and I’m looking forward to the future. I’m happy and I feel like I can accomplish a lot of things ... It’s about development ... sometimes we need this type of stuff to get ready for the NBA. It’s a blessing to have this opportunity.”
Hardy sees the G League as a place to help young players by getting the reps, but also sees it as a stepping stone to the NBA. That means that it can be a preliminary proving ground, a team where players can get in extra practice hours, but it can also be a place where players can go after they’ve been rehabbing an injury as they ramp up for NBA games.
“I think with all of our young players, we’d like to make this a step in the recovery. I think the (Salt Lake City) Stars is an amazing tool,” Hardy said. “I’ve said a bunch, in a lot of different settings, we can’t simulate games with our staff. And sometimes, the way the practice schedule falls, we might not get enough. So I think it’s just a good opportunity.”
That’s exactly what happened with Kyle Filipowski, who had played himself into the Jazz starting lineup before going out with an ankle sprain and lower leg inflammation. He missed seven games before returning to play with the Jazz and played in a game with the Stars en route to his Jazz return on Dec. 8.
Cody Williams, left, of the Salt Lake City Stars and Kyle Filipowski share a laugh before a game against the South Bay Lakers Dec. 6, 2024, at UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, California.
Cody Williams, left, and Kyle Filipowski share a laugh before a game against the South Bay Lakers Dec. 6, 2024, at UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, California.| Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
But, since the Jazz had a break in the schedule, with no game until Dec. 13. Hardy sent Filipowski and Sensabaugh to the Stars to get in some extra reps.
Sensabaugh has been openly grateful for his time spent in the G League and has pointed out that while some people may see G League assignments as a negative thing, there are plenty of players who have spent time in the G League ranks and gone on to do great things.
Six of the lottery draft picks of 2023 spent time in the G League their rookie year. Of the 30 players selected in the first round of 2023, 18 players spent time in the G League. Two of the Boston Celtics major rotational players on their 2024 championship winning team, Derrick White and Sam Hauser, spent time in the G League. The 2022-23 Denver Nuggets roster — another championship-winning team — featured seven players with G League experience.
When Williams was assigned to the Stars, Sensabaugh reached out and shared some of his experience. He mentioned that one of the reasons he enjoyed his time with the Stars was being surrounded by players who were similar in age and who were all trying to prove something. There are of course players on an NBA roster that have those things in common, but G League teams are almost completely made up of young players, so friendships are forged in a different way.
“I texted him and just let him know what I went through, and that it’s not a negative thing at all,” Sensabaugh said. “I took it as a challenge and I challenged him to do the same thing. I had a lot of fun in the G League, to be honest, just getting my feet under me and adapting to the pace of the NBA. Obviously, it’s different, it’s a different league, but I think it’ll be good for him because it’s a big confidence booster if you take it the right way.”
All of the Jazz’s young players have been encouraged by their teammates and the Jazz coaching staff to see any time with the Stars as a positive part of their development. And to this point, each has taken on the challenge with exactly that approach.
Brice Sensabaugh plays for the Salt Lake City Stars against NBA G League Ignite on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023 at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah. The second-year Jazz forward has encouraged this year's rookies to see the G League experience as the opportunity that it is.| Courtesy Salt Lake City Stars