THE FLATS – Neither was drafted, but Jose Alvarado and Moses Wright are moving up the NBA ladder … Thaddeus Young’s outlook positive for the Raptors … more in this week’s #ProJackets Report.
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ARROWS POINTING UP FOR MOSES WRIGHT, JOSE ALVARADO
Both Moses Wright and Jose Alvarado missed out on the dream of having their names called in the NBA draft in July. It would be practically impossible, though, to say that their decisions to forgo their extra season of college eligibility at Georgia Tech haven’t worked out really well.
On Thursday, Wright agreed to a two-way deal with the Dallas Mavericks after a standout start in the G League, reported first by The Athletic and confirmed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The contract enables him to play for Dallas and its G League affiliate without taking a spot on the Mavericks’ roster.
And, after a remarkable start to his NBA career with the New Orleans Pelicans, Alvarado’s salary has been converted from the compensation of a two-way contract to that of a regular one-year minimum-salary contract with the hopes of a full conversion coming soon, Octagon Basketball agent Ron Shade told the AJC.
More from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Congratulations to @mant12_ for signing a two-way contract with the @dallasmavs 💪💪#TogetherWeSwarm pic.twitter.com/2XF0Ehq2OW
— Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball (@GTMBB) February 24, 2022
Okogie. Alvarado. Wright. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ recruits to The NBA. #5StarPlayerDevelopment 🐝🏀 https://t.co/MKwlnQAS1d
— Julian Swartz 🐝🏀 (@GTCoachSwartz) February 25, 2022
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ALVARADO EXPLAINS HIS JERSEY NUMBER
“Freshman year of high school, I wanted No. 3, but they didn’t have it available, so I took 15, and then I won the whole thing, the freshman championship game. The next year I went to varsity and an older guy had 15, so I had to change to 10. (In New Orleans my first preference) was 10, but Jaxson (Hayes) has 10. So I went with 15, and hopefully it (ultimately) ends the same, with a championship. [smiles] I wore 10 in college.”
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ALVARADO CRACHES MARDI GRAS
WDSU-TV’s Fletcher Mackel and Sharief Ishaq dressed up as Jose Alvarado and Herb Jones for the annual Argus parade.
Jose Alvarado saw the coverage on social media, and decided to come out to the parade to say hello.
Jose Alvarado Crashed the WDSU Metairie Mardi Gras Coverage pic.twitter.com/cMWKkj4NfI
— Main Team (@MainTeamSports2) March 1, 2022
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HOW DOES YOUNG FIT IN TO RAPTORS DOWN THE STRETCH
Thaddeus Young is only going to get better as he learns the Raptors’ system, writes Oren Weisfeld of Yahoo!Sports, and becomes more familiar with his teammates, while simultaneously rediscovering his conditioning after playing just three times for the San Antonio Spurs since the start of the new year. But the time for easing him into the rotation is gone, as the Raptors need Young to play big minutes and to fill a big hole with Anunoby out, and they need him to do it immediately.
The good news is that Young is a natural fit for the Raptors. The 6-foot-8 forward with a 7-foot wingspan is a legitimately versatile player who can handle the ball, shoot the corner three, make plays for his teammates, go to work in the post, and get his hands in passing lanes on the defensive end. He thrives in the areas the Raptors already thrive, namely in transition, in the post, and on the offensive glass. And he brings the ability to act as a connector for a second unit in desperate need of someone to set up a group of play-finishers, which is exactly why he could be so useful when it comes to improving the bench scoring.
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YOUNG HAS BEST PERFORMANCE IN RAPTORS UNIFORM
Thaddeus Young finished last Saturday night’s tilt with 10 points (4-8 FG, 1-1 3PT, 1-3 FT), two rebounds, three assists, and two steals to go along with one turnover in 22 minutes of action in the Raptors’ 100-127 loss to the Hawks.
While the performance was beneficial for the Raptors and for Young, the fantasy experts are not so sure.
Young closed with 11 points (4-9 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 23 minutes during Tuesday’s 109-108 victory over Brooklyn.
Young led all bench players with 23 minutes in the victory, a sign that he is slowly but surely moving up the pecking order in Toronto.
Meanwhile, Young moved ahead of Julius Erving for 48th place on the all-time NBA list for steals with 1,509. He’s now five away from Rajon Rondo.
Thaddeus Young has passed Goran Dragic on the Raptors’ all-time scoring list. pic.twitter.com/ydWNQQQeVV
— Chris Walder (@WalderSports) March 2, 2022
Thaddeus Young made zero 3-pointers in 370 minutes with the Spurs.
He has three in his last 29 minutes with the Raptors.
— Michael Gallagher (@MikeSGallagher) March 1, 2022
