Overview:
More than 90 players competed for a chance to earn a training camp spot with the Grand Rapids Gold, the Denver Nuggets’ G League affiliate.
Competitive fire and nervous energy hung in the air inside Metropolitan State University’s gym as basketball players from all over the country mentally prepared to show why they deserved a spot in the Denver Nuggets’ NBA G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, at an open tryout on Aug. 30.
“I’m a little nervous for sure,” said former college forward Jaxson Baker, who has played professionally overseas. “It’s definitely a little bit daunting, but it’s exciting as well.”
Roughly 100 players showed up for the Grand Rapids Gold’s open tryout, paying $168 for a chance to be evaluated by the Denver Nuggets’ NBA G League affiliate. Participation was capped at 90 preregistered players, leaving some hopefuls who had not signed up in advance turned away before drills began.
Baker was among the 90 players given a chance to compete for a training camp invitation.
“It’s a big goal of mine to be able to play in the NBA G League,” Baker said. “After playing overseas for two years, I know that’s what I want to do.”
Baker most recently played professionally in Portugal after college stops at Central Arkansas and New Hampshire. The day before the tryout, Baker flew from Salem, Massachusetts, where he currently resides and works as a part-time bartender, to Denver to chase his dreams.
The three-hour tryout was split into three different hour-long sections, but before any basketballs hit the court, Grand Rapids Gold general manager Chad Iske and head coach Ryan Bowen gave a quick message to the participants.
“It’s a great opportunity to compete, bust your ass and play the right way,” Iske said. “We want to give you guys a good experience. There’s a lot of guys on three different courts; you gotta stay with us.”
Baker took this message to heart.
“I really appreciate the Gold,” Baker said. “I appreciate the Gold staff emphasizing that you have to play basketball the right way in order to earn a spot.”
The tryout started with 10 minutes of stretching, followed by six eight-minute stations, where assistant coaches would run specific drills and groups of 15 players would rotate around the gym.
Baker’s experience and basketball IQ clearly shined during this section. He was consistently communicating with the other participants. Whether it was giving them advice, praising them for a great play or uplifting them after a mistake, Baker made it a priority to be a leader.
“I’ve tried to be the best communicator I can be,” Baker said. “It’s so important in the game of basketball. All I care about is being a positive force on the roster, and if I get that opportunity, I’m going to make everyone around me better, as much as I can.”
The middle hour consisted of six different 5-on-5 half-court scrimmages with three five-man groups at each station; the third group would switch into the game every time the offense lost possession or the defense gave up a basket.
The fast-paced nature of the tryout did not allow for participants to take mental or physical breaks, aside from the five-minute water breaks in between each hour, testing their stamina and ability to perform at a high level even when exhausted.
“The coaching staff here is obviously very high level, and we were challenged from the get-go,” Baker said.
The start of the final hour gave participants a good indicator of how they were performing.
Iske gathered all the participants at the center court and read aloud around 40 numbers, signifying to those players that they got to scrimmage on the center court. The rest of the participants split up and scrimmaged on the other two courts.
“It’s really challenging, especially when you put 90 guys on three courts,” Iske said after the tryout. “You’re just getting a snapshot of a guy, and you’re hoping you’re giving them enough opportunity to feel like they got to show what they could do.”
Baker had shown enough to the coaches in the first two hours to hear his number called for the action on the center court. He was one of 10 players who were picked to start the scrimmage on the center court , giving him and the others the first chance to impress.
“I would have loved to make every shot,” Baker said. “I got a lot of good looks, but at the end of the day, it was a great run and I appreciate the opportunity to be out here and compete.”
Participants have no timeline for when they should hear from the Gold management team regarding the success of their tryout. Additionally, there is no set amount of invitations given out, so it could be one participant or four.
“We want somebody that we can help fit in with the guys we already have in place,” Iske said. “But you’ve always got your eyes open for a hidden gem of talent that’s just falling through the cracks.”
Iske understands the uncertainty that lies with this process and encouraged all participants to try out for other NBA G League teams in the meantime. Baker had that in his plans all along, as he already has a flight scheduled to Orlando to try out for the Orlando Magic’s G League affiliate, the Osceola Magic, on Sept. 5.
Over the next month, thousands of eager dream chasers will compete at NBA G League open tryouts across the country. 15 other G League teams are scheduled to host open tryouts between now and Oct. 4. With the G League season starting on Nov. 6, hoopers like Baker hope to have secured a training camp spot by then.
“I am going to try out at a couple more teams,” Baker said. “It’s tough traveling around, but if you want a goal, you have to chase it.”
