Breaking Down the Stars of NBA G League Ignite

The NBA has opened the doors for the Ignite to shine during All-Star weekend. Here is a look at the top prospects.

If you haven’t been paying attention, here’s a friendly reminder that All-Star weekend takes on unprecedented scouting relevance this year. Friday night’s Rising Stars game not only introduces a brand-new tournament format but incorporates young prospects from the G League Ignite for the first time. The Ignite’s Scoot Henderson, Dyson Daniels, Jaden Hardy and MarJon Beauchamp will flank some of the NBA’s top young talent in a four-team tournament. Michael Foster Jr. and Fanbo Zeng will take part in the Clorox Clutch Challenge shooting competition.

While these may not be the most useful settings from which to draw real takeaways—All-Star weekend is always more about the show—it does provide a useful juncture to learn more about these players, five of whom are draft-eligible in June. Note that the Ignite will also play an actual game against the Cleveland Charge on Sunday afternoon, which is likely to be well attended by NBA execs already in town for the weekend.

Having not seen the Ignite play live since December’s G League Winter Showcase, this writer hit the road to scout their two most recent games against the Wisconsin Herd and Motor City Cruise. Here are the relevant takeaways entering the weekend and moving forward, with just a handful of games left on the Ignite’s schedule.

Dyson Daniels, G/F

Height: 6' 6" | Weight: 200 | Age: 18

Draft projection: Lottery/mid first-round

The Australian-born Daniels will likely be the first Ignite player drafted in June, with a diverse skill set that should be well suited to support star talent. He turns 19 next month, making him the youngest of Ignite’s draft-eligible prospects, and is simultaneously the most advanced when it comes to basketball IQ and grasp of his role. Daniels plays a lot of point guard for the Ignite but will likely be more of a secondary playmaker in the long run, due to his comfort playing all over the perimeter and knack for sending the ball where it needs to go. Having a taller player who makes quick, smart decisions parked on the wing can be a real boon for clock management and a balanced offense. Daniels needs to improve his jumper and continue to work on creating his own shot, but he’s a pretty comfortable rhythm shooter who should make enough of them to keep defenses honest.

Daniels is also Ignite’s best defensive player, with good instincts and technique guarding on the ball as well as away from it. He is a fantastic rebounder, does a good job of being opportunistic and forcing turnovers, and uses his length well to contest against bigger and smaller opponents without fouling. Considering Daniels has room to add muscle to his frame, it’s not a stretch to think he could eventually check smaller power forwards in addition to perimeter players, which would give him an unusual amount of defensive versatility—particularly valuable when attached to a player with his type of offensive skill set. Daniels may be a true positionless basketball player, capable of doing pretty much anything but play center, and his low-maintenance, unselfish style should be extremely appealing. I’d comfortably take him in the lottery.

Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA TODAY Sports

Scoot Henderson, PG

Height: 6' 2" | Weight: 195 | Age: 18

Draft projection: 2023 lottery

Despite not being eligible for the draft until 2023, Henderson has become the Ignite’s highest-profile prospect, having recently turned 18 with a highly advanced game for his age. The context is that he could be a senior in high school right now but has held his own right away in the G League, which is a pretty positive indicator for the long run. Henderson is off the charts physically, with long arms, a muscular body type and high-level strength and speed with the ball that have made him one of the best athletes in the G League as a teenager. It’s a plus that he’s opted to challenge himself at this level, where he can’t get away with simply bullying defenders, which you’d hope will accelerate his pre-NBA development. With a full head of steam, it’s really hard to stop him from getting to his right hand, and he’s comfortable stopping and popping for midrange jumpers.

Having said all that, Henderson is still very much figuring some things out—nobody expects him to be a finished product yet, but there are rough edges here. He’s working to consistently extend his shooting range beyond the arc. He isn’t a highly creative passer, can be a bit ball-dominant and is learning the finer points of being a lead guard. He has good hands on the defensive end but needs polish on that end.

What matters is who he is a year from now, not right now, but I’m particularly curious to track his evolution as a passer, and see whether he’ll learn to hit ahead in transition and start to trust teammates to finish plays a bit more often. There’s an important question to ponder here: whether Henderson can be a true point guard who sprays the ball around, or whether he’ll wind up relying more on his strength and speed to break defenses. The good news is, he’s so athletic that the latter outcome can still be overwhelmingly positive.

MarJon Beauchamp, F

Height: 6' 6" | Weight: 200 | Age: 21

Draft projection: Mid-late first round

Beauchamp’s pathway to Ignite has been winding—he was regarded as a national prospect in high school, initially skipped high school to train with the short-lived Chameleon BX program, then played 12 games at Yakima Valley College in Washington last season before joining the Ignite. He’s done a good job putting himself back on the map since, showcasing a much more advanced game than expected and producing on a pretty consistent basis in the G League. Beauchamp is an excellent run-jump athlete but is still playing catch-up in a lot of ways, which is a bit concerning given he’s already 21 years old.

The hope is that Beauchamp will become a quality 3-and-D player in the NBA, but he’s still refining both of those skills, making this a little bit of a tricky guess for scouts. He is a comfortable midrange shooter and has a terrific frame with long arms, which makes him projectable in both departments. He struggles to create shots for himself, which places an emphasis on his ability to fit in. Teams will have to weigh his unusual trajectory for themselves, and he will have work to do in the predraft process, but Beauchamp is on the first-round map and has won some people over around the NBA.

Jaden Hardy, SG

Height: 6' 4" | Weight: 200 | Age: 19

Draft projection: Mid-late first round

Hardy entered the season projected by many as a top-five pick, but has seen his stock tumble due to ongoing shooting struggles with the Ignite. Optimistically, the idea here is that he can become a valuable microwave bench scorer in time, with a dangerous three-point shot and the ability to run some offense using ball screens. Realistically, he has an uphill climb ahead. Hardy was old for his grade in high school and turns 20 this summer, putting him on par with a lot of college sophomores developmentally. He’s not overly tall or long or physical for a two guard, which has been a large part of the issues he’s faced this season. The other factor that frequently comes up with scouts is that Hardy hasn’t really adjusted his shot selection in any meaningful way.

The high school pedigree attached to Hardy’s name can only go so far on draft night—to maximize his stock, he ultimately has to convince teams that he’ll either be willing to change and fit a role, or that he still has what it takes to emerge as an efficient, bankable, scoring option in the pros. There’s a high bar to clear for bucket-getting guards at the NBA level. Hardy has had a few strong performances this season, and the skill set scouts liked in high school is still there, but it’s going to be about adjustments from here. Without marked improvement, he could see time in the G League again next season.

Michael Foster Jr., F/C

Height: 6' 8" | Weight: 250 | Age: 19

Draft projection: Second round

To Foster’s credit, he’s been really productive in the G League, racking up double doubles regularly and proving he fits from a physical perspective. The stats aren’t everything, though, and he still has more to prove—scouts want to see him improve defensively, take better shots and limit his time floating on the perimeter. He’s undersized for an NBA five but doesn’t move well enough to defend perimeter-oriented forwards, so some of this is an existential problem that a lot of bigs face when trying to find a niche in the NBA. Foster’s length and activity level and the fact he picked up basketball late should make him a project worth taking a chance on, but he’s a bit more of an acquired taste.

Fanbo Zeng, F

Height: 6' 11" | Weight: 200 | Age: 19

Draft projection: Second round/undrafted

Zeng chose to join the Ignite rather than play college basketball at Gonzaga, and while he’s far away from contributing in the NBA, he’s begun holding his own a bit better in the G League of late. He has a ton of skill development ahead to have a chance of eventually making it, but he’s a really good run-jump athlete for his size, and the best case here is his realizing a role as a high-energy player who can chip in on both ends off the bench. He may be too far behind feel-wise to get there, and he may not get drafted, but he’s someone teams should consider as a potential developmental addition in the G League next season.