Let’s show some love to the 2-way guys!
Everybody loves two-way players, the guys who can play great defense and then score on the other end of the floor, but what about the ACTUAL two-way players? That’s right, I am talking about the guys on two-way contracts that split time between the NBA and G-League every year.
Virtually every team in Summer League has guys on their roster that are playing on two-way contracts and two of the guys with these contracts that stood out on Day 2 of NBA Summer League were Duane Washington Jr. (Pacers) and Nathan Knight (Timberwolves).
Duane Washington Jr. was a guy that went back and forth on whether or not he should remain in the draft or go back to Ohio State. He ultimately decided to keep his name in the draft and while he did well throughout the pre-draft process, Washington still ended up being undrafted.
This did not stop him though from earning a roster spot, as he immediately agreed to a deal with Indiana and he has continued to prove himself on the court here in Las Vegas. In his debut with the Pacers, Duane Washington Jr. led the Pacers in scoring with 23 points off-the-bench and he shot 5-5 from three-point range.
The Pacers are going to have a need for guys who can spread the floor and knock down shots, which is why they drafted Chris Duarte 13th overall this year, but Duane Washington Jr. was the standout performer for the Pacers on Monday. It should be interesting to see what he does the rest of the way for Indiana.
READ MORE: 2021 NBA Summer League Day 1 Review & Headlines
Nathan Knight was the second top two-way performer on Monday for the Minnesota Timberwolves, as he scored 19 points on 7-12 shooting and he also had a team-high 9 rebounds. Knight was on a two-way contract with the Atlanta Hawks this past season and played pretty well in his limited minutes with the Hawks.
The Timberwolves have some serious needs for frontcourt help next to Karl-Anthony Towns, which is why they brought in Knight this offseason on a two-way deal. He will only play sporadically for them to begin the season, but his performance on Monday was not a fluke. This guy is a tough interior presence who does not back down to anybody, even if they are taller/lengthier than he is.
READ MORE: 2021 NBA Summer League Day 1 Review & Headlines
He recorded a total of 9 rebounds and 5 of these boards came on the offensive-end of the floor! Nathan Knight is an extremely aggressive big man who puts in work for his team in the paint, which is why he will get plenty of opportunities to prove himself in Minnesota.
