Rob Gray – 2018-19 G-League Player Profile

June 20th, 2019

Rob Gray

PG – 6’2, 182lbs – Born 3rd April 1994

   Fort Wayne Mad Ants   

Having averaged 18.8 points per game over three seasons with the University of Houston, it was likely if not inevitable that Gray would receive a summer league invite and possible training camp contract with the Rockets. Indeed, he received both. Yet for whatever reason, Gray did not make his way to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, instead entering the G-League via the draft route, where the Mad Ants were looking for a playmaking guard to replace Walt Lemon.

Gray is definitely that. He is uber-aggressive offensively, to the point that he was once benched for selfishness and inattentiveness to the greater goals of the offence around him, something he has improved on subsequently. With the build of a smallish point guard, he can take over games with his scoring spurts; quick and with a tight handle, Gray creates space for weird-looking jumpers and gets all the way to the rim any time he has single coverage. Even when he ends up taking a bad shot, his aggression is sufficient to move a defence around enough that things open up elsewhere. ‘Dynamic’ is probably the word; ‘fearless’ is definitely another. Alongside spot-up shooters such as Jordan Barnett and Demetrius Denzel -Dyson, this was needed.

Due to his size, Gray only defends the point guard spot, and while he can be a pest when engaged, he often isn’t. He is also often hidden when possible, given his offensive responsibilities, yet he is unreliable on this end. Offensively, though, he is reliable. Aggressive, confident, always willing to step up and always attacking, Gray’s confidence has got him this far, and it could get him many more years as an Edwin Jackson type once he leaves the G-League.

– 20th June, 2019

• This above is extracted from the following page in the The Basketball Manifesto, an entirely free 3,775 page, 1.2 million word-ish basketball reference book which contains reviews, strategies, ideas, opinions, and a whole lot of scouting on men’s world basketball.

– View tons more player profiles like this from the Manifesto here.