The G-League is a league where it’s all about development. Sure, it helps to win games and it would be great to be the No 1 team, league champions, but wins don’t matter that much in the “G.” The development of your team’s players of tomorrow does.
Despite the Long Island Nets being a long shot to enter the playoffs this weekend, they have had a lot of positives on the team. From Killian Hayes to Kendall Brown to Tyson Etienne, there have been a lot of players who have gotten to showcase their talents.
However, perhaps nobody has developed in a bigger way than Drew Timme who on Tuesday was named G League Player of the Week after he averaged 35.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals in 35.7 minutes per game while shooting 68.4% overall and 63.6% from 3-point range...
> Forward Drew Timme was named NBA G League Player of the Week for games played Monday, March 17, through Sunday, March 23. This marks the fifth NBA G League Player of the Week recognition in Long Island Nets history, the first for Long Island this season and the first for Timme. [pic.twitter.com/vmWQ15ctky](https://t.co/vmWQ15ctky)
>
> — Long Island Nets (@LongIslandNets) [March 25, 2025](https://twitter.com/LongIslandNets/status/1904610695955833217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Timme is the star of the Long Island Nets now, and it’s been remarkable seeing how much he’s changed since coming over from the Stockton Kings in January in this his second G League season after going undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2023. To compare, he averaged 19.3 minutes per game with the Kings affiliate, putting up 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds. He shot only 12.5% from deep, putting up only one attempt a game. Things changed in Long Island and Timme acknowledges that.
“It’s great to find a place where you’re given an opportunity to really be able to show what you have,” Timme tells NetsDaily. “It’s exactly what I wanted when the trade went through and I couldn’t be more happy to be here.”
Since being sent to Long Island as a part of a three-team trade that saw Amari Bailey wind up with the Iowa Wolves, Timme is playing the best basketball of his pro career. Averaging 35.7 minutes for Long Island, Timme is currently averaging 24.3 points and 10.4 rebounds.
“The thing about this league is it’s all about opportunity and just making the most of it when you get it. Coming here, coach told me what he needed and he told me to be me. I’m trying to do that to the best of my ability and I’m so grateful for this opportunity here.”
Timme has shot the ball much better in his time with Long Island than he did on Stockton but more importantly, he has had a free rein in NetsLand. In Stockton, Timme connected on 67 of his 117 shot attempts, 52.7%. On Long Island, those numbers skyrocketed as Timme landed 229 shots on his 375 shots, 61.1%. This is just one area of many that Timme has seen improve.
Timme has also done a great job at getting his teammates involved. He’s averaging 4.2 assists in his time on Long Island, solid for a big man ... compared to his time at Stockton where he only averaged 2.8 assists. He has been working on getting his teammates involved more and it’s showing.
Timme has also found his way in shooting the ball from deep. In today’s NBA, 3-point shooting is a must regardless of the player. The days of making the NBA as a big man built like Shaquille O’Neill are long gone. Now, the NBA wants bigs who can shoot the ball from deep and be just as athletic as the point guards who feed them in some cases.
Timme worked on a major part of his game while in his time on Long Island, his 3-point shooting, going from putting one attempt a game with the Kings to three a game with the Nets. This is something he hopes to further develop as he knows he doesn’t have a choice if wants to make it to the NBA. Timme is currently shooting close to 40% from deep.
“It’s (3-point shooting) never been known as my strength, but it’s something I’ve been working on continuously,” Timme tells ND. “It’s not something that just happened overnight. I’ve been working on it for the past three or four years. It’s what they do in the NBA, they just launch a bunch of threes so you kind of have to join the mold or not be a part of it.
“To get to where I want to go, I just have to shoot more and I think that’s been the focus. It helps the team too because then I’m able to drive when they start pressing up and I can get good shots to other people. It helps everybody.”
That free rein head coach Mfon Udofia has given his big man was apparent in Long Island’s game against the Motor City Cruise when Timme not only picked up a career-high of 50 points, but won the game with a three...
It was second in Long Island in franchise history behind Isaiah Whitehead’s 52-point performance back in 2018. He shot 21-of-26 overall and 4-of-6 from three.
As a whole, Timme is very happy to be here. He says that the fit and the trust the coaching staff has in him is truly “awesome.” “It’s really helped me find my way.” While Timme is a juggernaut on offense, his defense is something that always needed work, but something he’s also seen improve a lot since coming to Long Island.
“I’ve always been able to score, but I’ve been rebounding more, and also my defense I’ve been more active,” Timme tells ND. “I’m getting more deflections, a couple blocks here and there, and that’s because the staffs on me all the time about it. I need that, it’s good. I think that’s probably the biggest area of growth I’ve had.”
Timme is starting to be rewarded for his impressive play, as on Tuesday, Timme took home the prestigious honor of NBA G-League Player of the Week. This is the fifth time in Long Island history that one of their players won the award. However, this is the first time this season Long Island has had a player get this honor and the first time Timme’s gotten this honor in his career.
When speaking with Timme about his goals, Timme kept it short and sweet with ND, “I want a call-up,” Timme tells ND. “That’s the point of the G-League, to develop, continue to get better, and get to where you want to go. Where I want to go is the league. If I can just come in and keep proving it and keep being consistent, maybe one day it’ll happen. That’s the goal, that’s the dream and maybe one day it will happen.”
Timme is used to big games in March. He was a three-time All-American at Gonzaga and was famous for his output in the NCAAs. Now, it’s March again in a lot of ways.