The neglected NBA Alchemy Field! A great transformation of the Development League!

Ask you a question: Do you think the Development League is just a shelter for the undraft?

But the fact is that the current Development League is no longer the overlooked minor league, but the real alchemy field of the NBA.

Over the past three seasons, more than half of the first-round rookies have been to the Development League in their rookie year.

Referring to 2023, among the 30 first-round rookies, 18 of them have played in the Development League, and even 6 people in the Lotto area.

Celtic defender Derek White said it bluntly:

"The Development League is the key reason for me to have the position I am today."

He helped the Austin Spurs win the Development League championship in 2018. In addition to him, all-star players such as Detiezon Murray, Siakam, and Gobert also came out of the Development League.

And why is there such a change?

From the development trajectory, the Development Alliance was established in 2001, and its initial positioning was very embarrassing. The players are mainly undrafted and second-round picks, with low salaries, few exposure resources, simple game facilities, and even the team coaches have to do part-time washing clothes and moving luggage.

Borrow the words of the well-known agent Arn Terham:

"The Development League was originally a training center for cultivating young people, but the NBA outsourced this responsibility to the NCAA and the European League."

As time comes to 2024, everything will be different.

The Development League began to experience gold rush, and the Heat, Raptors and other teams have even discovered batches of available soldiers. More and more NBA teams are beginning to realize their value and start investing in the Development League on a large scale.

Until 2025, all 30 NBA teams in the league have already owned and directly operated the Development League teams.

In this process, a key change comes from a two-way contract.

Each NBA team can sign up to three two-way players. Although these people are not formal rosters, they may get the opportunity to upgrade the first-line home team at any time. This also made many young players close to the NBA choose to stay and stay in the Development League and wait for opportunities instead of choosing to go to overseas leagues. If the players can stay, their competitiveness will naturally increase.

In addition to the competition, the Development League has also begun to make a qualitative leap in team training, player nutrition, game facilities and coach quality.

Former Chicago Bulls Development League coach Domecan once said in an interview:

"In the past, in addition to training, I was also responsible for washing clothes and picking up and dropping off players. But now there is a special team to do these. For NBA teams, these investments are not large, but the returns are very considerable."

Returning to the perspective of young players, the value of the Development League is more direct.

As a rookie, instead of sitting on the bench in the NBA, it is better to play for 30 minutes in the Development League every game. They can feel the intensity of professional events here and find an NBA role that suits them in advance. Therefore, today's rookies no longer regard decentralization to the Development League as a punishment, but instead regard this arrangement as the best ladder to the NBA.

The value of the Development League is no longer just to cultivate young players, and gradually begins to become an early laboratory in the NBA.

Many common rules in the NBA today, such as coaching challenges, 14-second offensive time, were first tested in the Development League. At the 2022 Open, they also tried a special target point system. When the game reaches the overtime stage, the team that scored 7 points first is the winner.

In addition, the Development League has many strange rule attempts, such as: counting three-pointers in the last three minutes of each quarter, blocking the ball after touching the basket once without interfering with the ball, etc. Although these rules have not been implemented in the NBA, they have also provided many new ideas for the league.

Other thing is, the Development Alliance also undertakes the task of business development.

In 2021, the NBA pushed the Development League to Mexico, and the ratings of local events instantly increased by 12%, and the overall ratings of the NBA also increased accordingly. In addition, more and more players in the Development League are entering the NBA stage. The most prominent case is McCross, who completed the consecutive championships in the slam dunk competition.

What really made the Development League break the circle was the Ignition Team established in 2020. This team is prepared solely for young players who want to play professionally after graduating from high school. They can not only receive salaries, but also receive commercial advertising endorsements. The Development League has also arranged many international warm-up matches to allow young players on the team to experience the international arena environment in advance.

For example, Jaylen Green, the second pick in 2021, Kumingga, and Henderson, the 2023, all entered the NBA from the ignition team as a springboard.

As international players are increasingly valued by the NBA, the Development League has begun to become a springboard opportunity for these young players to pay more and more attention. For example, the No. 1 pick in 2024, Boozelis directly skipped the NCAA and the European League to choose the Development League, and finally successfully entered the NBA.

It is obvious that compared to the original Development Alliance, it has completely changed.

is no longer an overlooked second-tier league, but a must-have for rookie players. It is the outpost for young players to land in the NBA and the experimental field for the future of the NBA.

Borrow the words of Abdul Rahim, chairman of the Development League:

"The Development League has gone from a low-priced league to a league full of potential stars."

There is no doubt that from the edge to the core, from laughing stock to hope, the Development League seems to have begun to usher in a real golden age.