I went to my first G-League game last night (Vipers vs Lakers) and here are my thoughts: - Hartenstein was beasting in the first 1.5 quarters and totally sucked in the 2nd half. He got super frustrated with no-calls and became a turnover machine. He's going to have to learn to keep it cool if he wants to make it in the NBA. I felt he was the best player on the court when he was playing well but he wasn't straight up dominating the game like Shaq or anything despite being the biggest player on the floor. He was a solid presence in the paint and I wish he'd get more PT with the Rockets instead of riding the bench. - Caboclo played great. He is listed as 6'9 but I feel he is closer to 6'10. Either that or other players who are 6'9/6'10 are lying about their height. His game is completely different than Hartenstein in that he doesn't bang in the paint. I would say his offensive game is better than Hartenstein right now but he is more of a stretch 4/5 than a traditional 5 like Hartenstein. I think he deserves a shot getting called up to the Rockets, esp. with Capela injured. - Dakarai Tucker was lighting it up on both ends. He is super athletic and has decent size for a wing. I like his game and look forward to seeing how he improves. - Chris Walker was also super athletic and tall (like Caboclo without the super long arms). I liked his game a lot too. Seems like he was a high school star and got lots of big name college offers but didn't stand out in college for whatever reason. - Sadly Gary Payton II aka The Mitten was a no show or didn't get any playing time. I'm not sure why. - I also wanted to see Mortiz Wagner (drafted 25th in 2018) on the Lakers but it seems he was scratched from the lineup cuz it looks like the Lakers are trying to trade him. Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler
Sadly Caboclo is no longer a Viper. The Grizzlies signed him to a 10-day contract after that game. Also GP II was a no-show because he is no longer on the Vipers, either. He was signed to a 10-day contract by the Wizards.