G League Ignite players rise up after passing on school
Jaden Hardy hardly thought twice when asked to revisit his decision. In a world where some college athletes are returning to campuses for million-dollar deals, Hardy chose to toss the books aside and join the NBA pipeline with the G League’s Ignite squad.
Hardy did what he thought would put him ahead of the curve.
“I was ready to be a pro and work on my game full-time,” Hardy said. “It’s about whatever that recruit or prospect wants, really. With me, I wanted to be challenged.”
When Ignite was founded in 2020, it came at a time where players were actively seeking alternative routes to the NBA. The idea of NIL still felt like a dream. High school players were placing countries’ flags in their final lists. There was no telling just how successful Ignite could be in yanking young prospects from the school system.
In its short-lived existence, the program has carved a transcendent path for young prospects who skip school. A year removed from having two players selected in the top 10, a project that once seemed a risky bet will possibly see three first-round picks called in Hardy, Dyson Daniels and MarJon Beauchamp in Thursday night’s NBA draft.
Before joining Ignite, Daniels felt he was some ways away from taking that next step. There was still so much to learn. The Australia native was learning about the nutrition and discipline that went into building his body. He had no idea how to manage his finances — a necessary skill seeing that he stumbled into more money than most teenagers are used to when he signed with the team.
And Daniels still needed to find his way on the court. He joined Ignite as a top-20 draft prospect, shooting up to the top 10 during the draft process. Of course, sprouting to 6-8 by the time of the combine certainly aided Daniels’ case. But he carved out his role along the way, found both what he’s good at and could improve, and maximized his pre-draft potential.
“You’re playing against G League players who are on the verge of playing in the NBA,” Daniels said. “You’re playing 48minute games, NBA length floor, and you’ve got a really good coaching staff and veteran players that help you.”
This year’s three potential first-rounders dispelled, for the most part, any doubts of development. Last year’s draftees, Houston’s Jalen Green and Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga, were already on the cusp of being called on by Adam Silver when they left high school. Both were top-five-ranked prospects in the class of 2020.
Green and Kuminga seemingly were perceived by many as a couple of players who could have earned similar draft position after a year with any team. The same couldn’t be said about Daniels or Beauchamp.
Daniels, an international prospect, took a leap of faith and shot up from his original placement. Beauchamp, a relatively highly touted high schooler a couple years ago, fell out of mock drafts entirely. He spiraled through a poor turn of events after his decision to originally train for the draft instead of attend college was altered by COVID-19. After spending a shortened season playing for a junior college near his home, Beauchamp sought out Ignite as his last shot at the draft.
As seen several times since Ignite’s inaugural campaign, Beauchamp’s shot in the dark paid off. If high school prospects needed any reason to look toward opportunities adjacent to college, their eyes will surely be wide and bright come Thursday.
“It was really too good to turn down,” Daniels said. “It was designed to help us get to the NBA.”