Rawle Alkins has much to weigh as NBA Draft deadline nears
- Updated
Rawle Alkins has only a week left to decide whether to return to the Arizona Wildcats or not next season, and he may use every minute of it.
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Rawle Alkins has only a week left to decide whether to return to the Arizona Wildcats or not next season, and he may use every minute of it.
“It depends on the feedback I get,” UA’s maybe-sophomore-to-be said last week at the NBA Combine where … the feedback was pretty good.
Alkins bulldozed his way to 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting in his first Combine game, then had four points in a more limited appearance the next day. He also said he had encouraging meetings with NBA clubs, some of whom liked his “positionless” game.
Since the Combine, Alkins scheduled a workout with his hometown Nets and reportedly is headed to Toronto next.
Alkins said during the Combine he expected to work out for three teams privately and probably will go down to the wire of the May 24 deadline to withdraw from the draft.
While his workouts could help Alkins land a legitimate shot at an NBA roster, he’s projected most commonly as a second-round pick, meaning he will likely need to spend at least part of next season in the D-League while he continues to work on his skill level and shooting.
That could make it particularly hard to decide what his best move is next, at least the way former Arizona staffers Jesse Mermuys and Matt Brase see it.
“That is a really hard question because I’m an Arizona guy and I’m obviously pro the program — anything that’s best for Arizona,” said Mermuys, now a Lakers assistant coach. “But at the same time I coached in the D-League and I do value it and it’s a great place to develop. It’s just a personal choice. He’s going to get great coaching with Sean (Miller, UA coach) and he’s going to get great coaching in the D-League. It’s a really undervalued league.”
Brase, now the head coach of the D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers, was on the fence about Alkins’ next move, too.
“Rawle’s got to do what’s best for him,” Brase said. “I’m a big proponent of the D-League and also an Arizona guy. Sean does a great job and Rawle’s going to get better wherever he goes.
“No matter where he’s at next year, he needs to grow and Sean is going to develop him in Tucson. If he goes to D-League, he’s gotta prepare for a career, not just a job. You’ve got to keep going every year.”
Here’s a look at the two roads Alkins can start heading down next week:
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Arizona: Alkins starts again at small forward in a powerhouse lineup likely featuring point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, shooting guard Allonzo Trier, power forward DeAndre Ayton and center Dusan Ristic. But the offensive skills and styles of Trier and Ayton mean Alkins could still be Arizona’s third-leading scorer, as he was last season (10.9).
Professional: Alkins’ projection as a second-round pick means he’s a niche guy on an NBA roster at best, but more likely a starter or significant contributor in the D-League. In the D-League he might be better able to define how he can produce at the NBA level without a defined position, since his 6-foot-2.25-inch height is not prototypical for a small forward or even a shooting guard.
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Arizona: Miller. With the Wildcats, Alkins may not have the same kind of freedom he thrived in at the Combine, but he gets a chance to further work under a coach who is well-respected by NBA execs. Guard Kadeem Allen, who spent three years in UA’s program, said his Combine coach, Jerry Stackhouse, told him the Arizona players there were ahead of the others in part because of the instruction and terminology Miller offered, especially defensively. “That’s Coach Miller, man,” Allen said. “The things he told us, a lot of guys really don’t know that. That’s a positive.”
Professional: Many D-League coaches now, like Mermuys (when he was with Toronto) and Brase (now with Houston) are actually employed by the parent NBA club and often have worked on its big-league coaching staff before coming to the D-League. The D-League is moving toward having a full affiliate for each NBA team, much like major league baseball teams do with Triple-A clubs. So in many cases the schemes, terminology and standards are exactly the same to an NBA team. But the experience can vary by team.
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Arizona: $53,950-plus. That’s the estimated cost of a full grant-in-aid package for an out-of state athlete at UA in 2017-18, including the $3,400 “cost-of-attendance” supplement that is intended to serve all of an athlete’s needs from the minute he or she leaves home. Arizona says its full cost for a scholarship student-athlete, when factoring in access to academic support, life-skills training, a sports psychologist and other peripheral items, can range from $140,000 to $200,000.
Professional: $76,000-plus. That’s the minimum value of a season-long “two-way” contract, a new category of NBA contracts that each team is allowed to have two of — and the kind of job that Alkins would likely be offered if he left Arizona this year. A two-way contract can earn a player as much as $279,000, if a player spends the maximum 45 days on an NBA roster — and as little as $26,000 if all his days are in the D-League. A training camp bonus of $50,000 is guaranteed, though teams can cut two-way players in training camp and owe them nothing else.
Of course, Alkins also has the potential to earn considerably more. If he’s drafted high in the second round, he might have the leverage to command a regular guaranteed contract. Nick Johnson signed a three-year deal worth $2.3 million as Houston’s second-round pick in 2014, though he played overseas last season.
And if Alkins makes an NBA roster as a second-round pick or free agent, he would receive at least the rookie minimum of $815,000 next season. If he’s drafted in the first round, he will receive a guaranteed two-year contract worth at least $2.5 million.
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Arizona: The Wildcats routinely host scouts from all NBA teams during practices, while games often attract a handful to each. A player’s name recognition tends to improve with UA’s widespread television coverage, too. During the last regular season, Arizona had 11 games on the ESPN platforms, six on Fox channels and another two on CBS.
Professional: Any games Alkins might play in the D-League will most often be streamed. The midseason D-League showcase is televised on ESPNU and NBA TV. NBA games are covered under a $2.66 billion deal involving ESPN/ABC and Turner. But the NBA team he signs with will be watching every move he makes closely.
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Arizona: Although coaches are limited under NCAA rules in the hours they spend with players in the offseason, the Wildcats will be allowed extra time this summer because they are taking an exhibition trip to Spain. Alkins can practice or do strength and conditioning on his own anytime in dedicated facilities at the Richard Jefferson Gym. Full-length workouts begin six weeks before the regular-season opener.
Professional: Alkins won’t have any control over who coaches him once he signs a contract, but NBA and D-League teams typically have extra assistants and player development coaches assigned to give younger players extra time.
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Arizona: The Brooklyn product would be spending another nine months in Tucson. “I love it there,” Alkins said at the Combine. He’ll also have a structured life with classwork, academic advisors, team meals and no fear of being cut or traded. For road games, he’ll fly charter almost exclusively.
Professional: Alkins could be anywhere. If he isn’t on an NBA roster, he’ll head overseas or to an often-smaller city in the D-League such as Prescott (Suns), Reno (Kings) or Erie, Pennsylvania (Hawks). D-League teams will provide a shared apartment, but they fly commercially with rare exceptions. Pros at all levels, of course, don’t have to attend class, as former UA commit Terrance Ferguson noted after playing in Australia instead of for the Wildcats last season. “If you want to just focus on basketball… school is definitely going to weigh you down most days,” Ferguson said.
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Arizona: Alkins is named all-Pac-12, helps the Wildcats reach their first Final Four in 17 years and improves on his skillset enough to ensure a guaranteed seven-figure contract as a first-round pick in 2018. His personality continues to make him a fan favorite, too, helping his potential endorsement leverage.
Professional: Alkins slips on an NBA roster as a second-round pick or undrafted free agent, thanks to his aggressiveness, determination and personality. Or he at least gains a two-way contract, is listed for enough NBA games to make in the low six figures, and gets a better shot at an NBA roster slot in 2018-19.
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Arizona: Because of the Wildcats’ deep talent or other reasons, neither Alkins’ shots, efficiency nor minutes bump up — and his value doesn’t increase in 2018 … when he will be 20, with a presumably lower projected ceiling.
Professional: Because he doesn’t fit into the club that signs him, or for other reasons, Alkins is given the guaranteed $50,000 for training camp and then released. He then has to find another D-League club to take him or head to Europe … as a 19-year-old looking for another job.
Rawle Alkins has only a week left to decide whether to return to the Arizona Wildcats or not next season, and he may use every minute of it.
“It depends on the feedback I get,” UA’s maybe-sophomore-to-be said last week at the NBA Combine where … the feedback was pretty good.
Alkins bulldozed his way to 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting in his first Combine game, then had four points in a more limited appearance the next day. He also said he had encouraging meetings with NBA clubs, some of whom liked his “positionless” game.
Since the Combine, Alkins scheduled a workout with his hometown Nets and reportedly is headed to Toronto next.
Alkins said during the Combine he expected to work out for three teams privately and probably will go down to the wire of the May 24 deadline to withdraw from the draft.
While his workouts could help Alkins land a legitimate shot at an NBA roster, he’s projected most commonly as a second-round pick, meaning he will likely need to spend at least part of next season in the D-League while he continues to work on his skill level and shooting.
That could make it particularly hard to decide what his best move is next, at least the way former Arizona staffers Jesse Mermuys and Matt Brase see it.
“That is a really hard question because I’m an Arizona guy and I’m obviously pro the program — anything that’s best for Arizona,” said Mermuys, now a Lakers assistant coach. “But at the same time I coached in the D-League and I do value it and it’s a great place to develop. It’s just a personal choice. He’s going to get great coaching with Sean (Miller, UA coach) and he’s going to get great coaching in the D-League. It’s a really undervalued league.”
Brase, now the head coach of the D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers, was on the fence about Alkins’ next move, too.
“Rawle’s got to do what’s best for him,” Brase said. “I’m a big proponent of the D-League and also an Arizona guy. Sean does a great job and Rawle’s going to get better wherever he goes.
“No matter where he’s at next year, he needs to grow and Sean is going to develop him in Tucson. If he goes to D-League, he’s gotta prepare for a career, not just a job. You’ve got to keep going every year.”
Here’s a look at the two roads Alkins can start heading down next week:
Arizona: Alkins starts again at small forward in a powerhouse lineup likely featuring point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, shooting guard Allonzo Trier, power forward DeAndre Ayton and center Dusan Ristic. But the offensive skills and styles of Trier and Ayton mean Alkins could still be Arizona’s third-leading scorer, as he was last season (10.9).
Professional: Alkins’ projection as a second-round pick means he’s a niche guy on an NBA roster at best, but more likely a starter or significant contributor in the D-League. In the D-League he might be better able to define how he can produce at the NBA level without a defined position, since his 6-foot-2.25-inch height is not prototypical for a small forward or even a shooting guard.
Arizona: Miller. With the Wildcats, Alkins may not have the same kind of freedom he thrived in at the Combine, but he gets a chance to further work under a coach who is well-respected by NBA execs. Guard Kadeem Allen, who spent three years in UA’s program, said his Combine coach, Jerry Stackhouse, told him the Arizona players there were ahead of the others in part because of the instruction and terminology Miller offered, especially defensively. “That’s Coach Miller, man,” Allen said. “The things he told us, a lot of guys really don’t know that. That’s a positive.”
Professional: Many D-League coaches now, like Mermuys (when he was with Toronto) and Brase (now with Houston) are actually employed by the parent NBA club and often have worked on its big-league coaching staff before coming to the D-League. The D-League is moving toward having a full affiliate for each NBA team, much like major league baseball teams do with Triple-A clubs. So in many cases the schemes, terminology and standards are exactly the same to an NBA team. But the experience can vary by team.
Arizona: $53,950-plus. That’s the estimated cost of a full grant-in-aid package for an out-of state athlete at UA in 2017-18, including the $3,400 “cost-of-attendance” supplement that is intended to serve all of an athlete’s needs from the minute he or she leaves home. Arizona says its full cost for a scholarship student-athlete, when factoring in access to academic support, life-skills training, a sports psychologist and other peripheral items, can range from $140,000 to $200,000.
Professional: $76,000-plus. That’s the minimum value of a season-long “two-way” contract, a new category of NBA contracts that each team is allowed to have two of — and the kind of job that Alkins would likely be offered if he left Arizona this year. A two-way contract can earn a player as much as $279,000, if a player spends the maximum 45 days on an NBA roster — and as little as $26,000 if all his days are in the D-League. A training camp bonus of $50,000 is guaranteed, though teams can cut two-way players in training camp and owe them nothing else.
Of course, Alkins also has the potential to earn considerably more. If he’s drafted high in the second round, he might have the leverage to command a regular guaranteed contract. Nick Johnson signed a three-year deal worth $2.3 million as Houston’s second-round pick in 2014, though he played overseas last season.
And if Alkins makes an NBA roster as a second-round pick or free agent, he would receive at least the rookie minimum of $815,000 next season. If he’s drafted in the first round, he will receive a guaranteed two-year contract worth at least $2.5 million.
Arizona: The Wildcats routinely host scouts from all NBA teams during practices, while games often attract a handful to each. A player’s name recognition tends to improve with UA’s widespread television coverage, too. During the last regular season, Arizona had 11 games on the ESPN platforms, six on Fox channels and another two on CBS.
Professional: Any games Alkins might play in the D-League will most often be streamed. The midseason D-League showcase is televised on ESPNU and NBA TV. NBA games are covered under a $2.66 billion deal involving ESPN/ABC and Turner. But the NBA team he signs with will be watching every move he makes closely.
Arizona: Although coaches are limited under NCAA rules in the hours they spend with players in the offseason, the Wildcats will be allowed extra time this summer because they are taking an exhibition trip to Spain. Alkins can practice or do strength and conditioning on his own anytime in dedicated facilities at the Richard Jefferson Gym. Full-length workouts begin six weeks before the regular-season opener.
Professional: Alkins won’t have any control over who coaches him once he signs a contract, but NBA and D-League teams typically have extra assistants and player development coaches assigned to give younger players extra time.
Arizona: The Brooklyn product would be spending another nine months in Tucson. “I love it there,” Alkins said at the Combine. He’ll also have a structured life with classwork, academic advisors, team meals and no fear of being cut or traded. For road games, he’ll fly charter almost exclusively.
Professional: Alkins could be anywhere. If he isn’t on an NBA roster, he’ll head overseas or to an often-smaller city in the D-League such as Prescott (Suns), Reno (Kings) or Erie, Pennsylvania (Hawks). D-League teams will provide a shared apartment, but they fly commercially with rare exceptions. Pros at all levels, of course, don’t have to attend class, as former UA commit Terrance Ferguson noted after playing in Australia instead of for the Wildcats last season. “If you want to just focus on basketball… school is definitely going to weigh you down most days,” Ferguson said.
Arizona: Alkins is named all-Pac-12, helps the Wildcats reach their first Final Four in 17 years and improves on his skillset enough to ensure a guaranteed seven-figure contract as a first-round pick in 2018. His personality continues to make him a fan favorite, too, helping his potential endorsement leverage.
Professional: Alkins slips on an NBA roster as a second-round pick or undrafted free agent, thanks to his aggressiveness, determination and personality. Or he at least gains a two-way contract, is listed for enough NBA games to make in the low six figures, and gets a better shot at an NBA roster slot in 2018-19.
Arizona: Because of the Wildcats’ deep talent or other reasons, neither Alkins’ shots, efficiency nor minutes bump up — and his value doesn’t increase in 2018 … when he will be 20, with a presumably lower projected ceiling.
Professional: Because he doesn’t fit into the club that signs him, or for other reasons, Alkins is given the guaranteed $50,000 for training camp and then released. He then has to find another D-League club to take him or head to Europe … as a 19-year-old looking for another job.
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