June 29, 2018

Josh Magette
PG - 6’1, 160lbs - 28 years old - 1 year of experience

Often times, the number of players with “G-League experience” is cited on NBA broadcasts, particularly national ones. The number is now up over 50% and continuing to rise, and that is indeed a success. A true minor league is almost upon us.

It is however somewhat disingenuous to claim that everyone within that percentage is themselves a successful product of the system itself. Players can be sent for only one or two games at a time, be it for rehab or tryout purposes. Those players can then be said to have G-League experience, yet we cannot in no good conscience call them G-League successes.

Magette, though, is a true G-League success. His brand of Stockton-light, urgent yet not fast, high-dribbling pass-first traditional point guard play came to the NBA’s attention (via Division 2 and the Netherlands) because of his time in the D/G-League, and he honed his very discipline passing game there. Magette finds open players regularly and securely, and keeps the ball moving.

As for the NBA? It’s surely too big for him, too fast, too dynamic, too strong. Magette is a slight and slow point guard who knows most of what to do, but who does not possess the physicality with which to do it. A desire to defend is not the same as an ability to defend, and unless he can very quickly go from ‘capable jump shooter when somewhat open’ to ‘really quite an excellent shooter’, he will not score at this level either.

He’ll never become a rim finisher or elite defender, so making more shots to supplement his core floor-general game is the way back if this is to not be a one-off. But it is hard to see it happening.

Player Plan: Two-way contract expires this summer. If he wants to continue to lead Erie, that would be great, but if he instead goes and makes money during his prime years, that makes sense. Either way, an NBA contract offer is not necessary.

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July 4, 2014

Josh Magette - Magette (pronounced Ma Jet, not the same as Corey Maggette) made the Grizzlies summer league team in 2012 after finishing up a senior season at Division 2 Alabama-Huntsville in which he averaged 12.7 points, 8.9 assists and 2.7 steals per game. He spent the first year of his professional career in Holland and then spent last year with the L.A. D-Fenders of the D-League, averaging 10.4 points, 6.9 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.6 turnovers per game, shooting 38% from three. Magette, clearly, is a pass first point guard. He keeps the dribble alive, dribbles with no flair but no danger, executes simple passes routinely and makes scant few mistakes. He also takes few risks, rarely probing beyond the first line of the defense and very rarely foraying in the paint, dribbling back out quite often when he does. Magette's physical profile is very unfavourable for the highest levels of basketball, a 6'1 point guard with short arms, no speed and no explosion, but he has a lot of IQ and headiness that make him likeable. He plays within his significant limitations and betters any offense with his decision making and jumpshot from both mid and long range, both off the catch and off the dribble. But given that he can neither create his own shot nor defend his position with any physicality, relying upon his hands and reads only, and is merely a decent jumpshooter, he is probably right where he is.

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