G League Watch: Amari Bailey Impresses, End of Month Road Trip Beckons

Checking in on how the Long Island Nets are doing at the start of the G League season.

Sep 30, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guards Amari Bailey (19), Killian Hayes (4), and forward Tyrese Martin (13) during Brooklyn Nets Media Day at HSS Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Long Island Nets are back in action on Friday against the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate team, in the first game of a five-leg stretch away from home.

Long Island has started its year 1-3, winning the season opener against the Maine Celtics but dropping two consecutive contests to the Westchester Knicks and then a further game to the Capital City Go-Go. A road trip which starts in Canada will give the Nets’ G League affiliate a chance to get back on the winning column.

Long Island won’t return to the Nassau Coliseum until December. The upcoming November schedule features two straight games against the Raptors (1-4), a pitstop in Georgia to play the College Park Skyhawks (4-2), and then a back-to-back against the Greensboro Swarm (3-1).

For today's G League watch: Long Island guard Amari Bailey had 28 points in the Nets' last game pic.twitter.com/FR9rnWYqHb

— Wilko (@wilkomcv) November 21, 2024

Amari Bailey was the Nets’ highest scorer in the team’s last game. Bailey, who was on an Exhibit 10 contract in preseason with the Nets’ main team, finished with 28 points on 12-for-21 shooting, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. This marked the former UCLA guard’s second time scoring 20+ points this G League season, following his 23-point opener versus Maine.

Bailey played in 10 games in his rookie year with the Charlotte Hornets, the team that drafted him with the 41st pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. He averaged 2.3 points and 0.7 assists per game, albeit on a total of about 65 total minutes played. In 36 G League games with Greensboro, Bailey posted 18.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 30.9 minutes a night. 

AJ Lawson, who made 42 NBA appearances last season with the Dallas Mavericks, continued his solid season for head coach Mfon Udofia’s squad. After a 21-point outing, the South Carolina product is averaging 19.2 points per game. 

Kendall Brown, the former five-star high school recruit who was the No. 48 pick in the 2022 draft, had his season-high in points with 18. He’s a non-shooting forward, so his NBA fit is tricky despite some interesting passing and athleticism.

Other players of interest include two-way wing Jaylen Martin and former No. 7 pick Killian Hayes, who was also on an E-10 deal during training camp and preseason. In the Nets’ last game against the Go-Go, Martin played 28 minutes and scored only eight points, but he added five blocks. The Overtime Elite alum has appeared in two NBA games with Brooklyn this season.

Hayes continued to make his way back from the hip issue that plagued him in preseason; however, his only points came on a free throw (one shot for two points in the G League). The French point guard finished 0-for-5 from the field to go along with five rebounds, six assists and five turnovers.

---

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