A Look at Dink Pate, the Ignite Guard Attempting to Enter the 2024 Draft After G League Program's Dissolution

G League Ignite's disbanding leaves teenage hoops star Dink Pate in a tough situation en route to an NBA career. What kind of player is he, and what does his next move look like?

Feb 18, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Team ELY guard Dink Pate (1) of the G League Ignite shoots / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

When watching G League Ignite lead guard Dink Pate, a couple of things come to mind.

The first is that he is a 6-foot-9 true point guard, a primary initiator with real ball-handling skills and the ability to attack the basket with ferocity. He's and smooth with the ball in his hands, and has pretty respectable body control for a player as young as he is.

The Dallas-Forth Worth native from Pinkston H.S. had plenty of college suitors, garnering offers from all of the SEC's powerhouse schools, including Kentucky, Alabama, Auburn, and Arkansas, as well as schools like Georgetown, Texas, and Kansas. Instead of going the NCAA route, however, he ended up deciding on G League's Ignite program, which has produced past stars like Jonathan Kuminga, Scoot Henderson, Jalen Green, Dyson Daniels, and MarJon Beauchamp.

Pate, who is freshly 18 years old, played as a 17-year-old in a professional league against grown men in his first season out of high school, holding his own despite being at a physical disadvantage due to lack of physical development, as well as going up against players that have been in professional basketball for years.

There is always a learning curve with young players in pro leagues; the MLB has the minor leagues for a reason. While Pate had his struggles, he showed a lot of flashes of a player that can truly impact the game, even as a young guy.

In his first season with Ignite, Pate averaged 8.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. He also threw in 0.6 steals per for good measure – his defense is an underrated strength aided by his length and height, as well as his lateral quickness.

The athleticism pops off the screen, though he's not so much explosive as he is smooth and in control of his body. This skillset really shines in transition, where Pate is an absolute menace. His passing off of a live dribble in the break leads to some pretty impressive highlight-reel assists.

The rise of the "jumbo creator" in the NBA has flipped the basketball development world on its head in the last 10 or so years especially. There are the obvious Magic Johnson and LeBron James types from earlier on; even Lamar Odom fits this mold to an extent.

But now, teams are all seeking gigantic point guards. Luka Dončić, James Harden, Cade Cunningham, Josh Giddey, Anthony Black, LaMelo Ball – the list goes on. The point being that every team is looking for their version of this archetype.

Dink Pate is that kind of player. He has a 3.9-to-2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio, so the facilitation is real with him. He has demonstrated the ability to manipulate the defense off of the bounce, allowing for easier scoring opportunities both in the half-court and in transition.

As much upside as Dink Pate has (and he has a lot), there are some glaring flaws that will require shoring up before he succeeds at the next level. On the season, Pate shot just 34.7% from the field on 8.8 FGA and 21.4% from deep on 2.7 3P FGA.

Obviously, that's not passable. The ability for defenders to go under screens in PNR actions with Pate as the primary ball-handler in a way neutralizes all of the size and athleticism he has due to the fact that defenders can drop. Should he decide to attack the rim off of the dribble out of a screen, the defender can take a shortcut in preventing Pate from getting into the paint.

This flaw affects Pate's ability to get easy assists on dump-offs as well, because if the perimeter defender doesn't respect his shot, he will play off of him enough to prevent Pate from blowing by on the bounce.

One redeeming quality about his shooting though is the fact that he shot a decent 72.7% from the free-throw line, and while the shot form isn't ideal, it's also not broken beyond repair or requiring a full overhaul.

Should Dink Pate land in the right situation on draft night, whether that's 2024 or 2025, the right shooting coach can fix these flaws and turn Pate into, at the very least, a respectable shooter from the midrange and from deep.

Scouting notes aside, what's next for Pate if the NBA denies his waiver request to be eligible for the 2024 Draft? There are a couple of options.

The first option, and the one that makes the most sense, is to play in Australia's NBL as a part of the "Rising Stars" program that this year includes likely no. 1 overall pick in the '24 class, French center Alexandre Sarr, who plays for Perth. It's professional basketball, it's high level, and there are plenty of scouts paying attention. It also pays well and there are actual fans at the games, unlike most Ignite/G League games. Some Rising Stars players in the past were LaMelo Ball and Josh Giddey.

The other option would be either to play in Europe (France's LNBPA, Germany's Bundesliga, etc), or, if he's given another kind of waiver, play college due to the recent changing of amateurism laws by the NCAA. To be frank, however, if the NBA denies a waiver, you can be sure that the NCAA, who loves rules and homework, will not hesitate at the chance to flex their waning authority.

Should he reclassify and be allowed into the 2024 Draft, Pate is immediately regarded by many as, at the least, a Top-10 pick – and that may be conservative. Many have Pate in their top five, top three and even h as he best player in the entire 2024 class.

While that may be a stretch for a player whose career is still mostly projection at this point, the size, skillset, and archetype are extremely attractive, and he is also the type of player that makes sense to take a huge swing on, because the upside is so massive.

An elite jumbo creator can change the outlook of a franchise, be a building block for the future, and help to facilitate an offense and increase team chemistry all at once. While the shooting has been rough, it's important to note that many of those shots were off of the bounce, and that he will have a scaled down role early on in his career in the NBA that will prevent him from taking so many difficult, contested attempts.

In the right setting, Dink Pate could end up being the best player in the 2024 Class – whether he reaches that potential depends on a few factors of course, but the future is bright for the 18-year-old Texan.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.