Several of the NBA’s top prospects can be seen on national television on Saturday night when the Dakota Wizards, the NBA Development League affiliate of the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies, travel to play at the Iowa Energy at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on VERSUS at 11 p.m. ET/10 p.m. CT.
Dakota (11-21) features Chris Johnson, the LSU product who was called up to the Portland Trail Blazers in January. Wizards guard Lawrence Westbrook, out of Minnesota, currently is the league’s second-leading three-point shooter (.464), while Anthony Goods, the former All-Pac 10 Honorable Mention player at Stanford, is averaging 15.8 points per game.
James Johnson, the Chicago Bulls’ first-round selection (16th overall) in the 2009 NBA Draft, will suit up for Iowa (23-9) while on assignment from Chicago. In six games this season with the Eastern Conference-leading Energy, Johnson has averaged 19.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.2 blocks in 29.8 minutes.
Johnson joins a deep and talented Iowa team that includes former NBA players in center Courtney Sims and guards Mike Taylor and Othyus Jeffers, whose 21.1 points per game currently leads the league. Iowa’s point guard, former Iowa State star Curtis Stinson, leads the league in assists with 9.3 per game. Iowa is coached by Nick Nurse, who will coach the East in the NBA D-League All-Star Game on Feb. 19.
Washington has utilized the NBA D-League this season, calling-up point guard Mustafa Shakur from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, and assigning center Hamady Ndiaye to Dakota.
Currently about 20 percent of NBA players have NBA D-League experience. This season, a record 23 NBA teams have assigned players to their NBA D-League affiliates, while 23 of the 60 2010 NBA Draft selections have played in the NBA D-League in 2010-11.