Have to agree with you given a higher set of expectations for Griffin... although the counter-balance is that White never played a minute in a regulation NBA game, did he?
I don't believe he did. You could make the argument that his issues were known before the draft, otherwise he would have gone higher. Knowing at the time of draft that this dude wouldnt get on a plane, was suspended in college for a variety of criminal behaviors, it shouldnt have come as much of a surprise that he might never play an NBA game. For Griffin, there were fewer known concerns at the time the pick was made, aside from fighting with teammates in HS and college. But I think a valid argument could be made for either player
not that i Dislike the move , but the kid bet on himself . two-way contract doesn't necessarily portend well for us keeping him long term for cheap if he does look good this year.
FWIW Top Shooters at NBA Combine Drills (Spot-Up 3s) Jordan Nwora (82%) Skylar Mays (76%) Mason Jones (74%) Cassius Winston (74%) Robert Woodard (74%) Markus Howard (74%) Grant Riller (74%) Immanuel Quickley (72%) Top Free Throw Percentage at NBA Combine (100 attempts) Mason Jones (98%) Ty-Shon Alexander (97%) Cassius Winston (96%) Immanuel Quickley (94%) Markus Howard (94%) Naji Marshall (94%) Karim Mane (94%) Jordan Nwora (92%) Trent Forrest (91%) Jalen Harris (91%) Kaleb Wesson (90%)
Wasn't Griffin a candidate for the first overall pick and so the Rockets didn't even bother to really scout him? Then he started slipping on draft day and he was there when they picked 8th overall as I recall. They took a blind flyer...
The only first round draft pick in NBA history to never play a minute in the NBA. Edit: I guess Len Bias would also count. Edit 2: I think the distinction is only first round draft pick in the lottery era to not play a minute in the NBA.
Get that landmine work in young G!! I like the exuberance of youth. It will be nice to mix that in with whoever is left after the dust clears, but if the team stayed intact it would be interesting to see how James and Russ could play with these youngsters and feed off that vibe.
Maybe he dropped because he was allergic to defense? At least Queen (the other 2 way contract) is a dog on defense AND shoots 3's. Unfortunately he is only 6'5 with a 6'6 wingspan as well.
He did play a few minutes for the 2013-14 Kings. The beautiful thing is he never scored a point. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/whitero03.html