Undrafted Duke Guards Sign NBA Training Camp Deals
By Chris Brown
As the NBA season approaches, many teams are trying to fill in final roster spots. NBA training camps can officially start on September 30th and provide NBA teams with a chance to train and work out their players, add extra depth and talent to the roster with free agents, and play in preseason exhibition games before the regular season begins.
Two former Duke guards have recently signed contracts to join NBA teams for their preseason training camps and will have an opportunity to make the team for the regular season. Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins were invited to participate in the training camps for the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat, respectively. Both Duke alums spent time playing in the NBA Summer League for the teams that have signed them to training camp deals.
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Seth Curry, class of 2013, went undrafted in the NBA draft while recovering from an injury. He spent last season playing in the NBA Development League playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors as well as brief stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Memphis Grizzlies. This past summer, Cury played for the Orlando Magic and the Phoenix Suns in the 2014 NBA Summer Leagues in Orlando and Las Vegas. For the entire summer, Seth averaged 9.8 points and 1.2 assists per game with 41.3% 3-point shooting, including a 26 point performance against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Magic are already very crowded at the guard position, with Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, Evan Fournier, Ben Gordon, Willie Green, and Luke Ridnour already on the roster, so it seems unlikely that Curry will be able to make the team. However, he will have a chance to compete for a spot and will also be able to use training camp as an opportunity to impress NBA scouts and possibly sign with another NBA team or its D-League affiliate.
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Andre Dawkins was undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft, but immediately received interest from NBA teams because of his shooting ability. Over the summer, he played for the Miami Heat and the Houston Rockets in the two summer league tournaments in Orlando and Las Vegas. For the Heat, Dawkins averaged 12.3 points and 1.3 assists in 19.3 minutes per game while shooting 40% from the field, 40% for three-pointers, and 100% (5-5) from the free throw line. His best performance came in a summer league playoff game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he scored 27 points and shot 7-12 from three. For the Rockets in Las Vegas, Dawkins averaged 8.6 points in 17.4 minutes coming off the bench.
Dawkins will have a good chance to make the team, since the Heat have lost most of their depth and three-point shooting talent in the past few years (Mike Miller, Shane Battier, James Jones, and Ray Allen), which helped them win championships along with Lebron. If Dawkins does make the team, he will join former Blue Devils Luol Deng and Josh McRoberts who will also new additions for the Heat this season.