After March 1st had passed, most fans assumed there were no difference makers left to help NBA playoff teams.
Those who follow the D-League would beg to differ.
Teams still have until the end of the regular season to add a player to the roster with him still maintaining playoff eligibility.
Looking up and down the NBA, it’s quite clear that no team is perfect by any means. Even top-of-the-conference teams like the Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, and Oklahoma City Thunder have holes that they’d like to fill, and fortunately for them, there’s an entire league full of players ripe for the picking.
There are quite a few NBA-ready players available from the D-League, but for the purposes of this list we’ll limit it to five who could make an impact on a team that’s bound for the playoffs.
Manny Harris – Los Angeles D-Fenders
After a standout career at the University of Michigan, Harris entered the league with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2010-2011 season, but was never able to make enough of an impact to stick in the NBA.
When he was let go by the Cavs after the next season, Harris headed to the Ukraine for a year and did quite well, scoring 14 points per game in only 28 minutes of play.
He hoped to latch on with a team at the start of this year, but ended up in the D-League. He was an All-Star, and this recognition got him picked up by the Lakers. Even after an impressive stint there (he scored 19 points and had 8 rebounds in his final game), the Lakers still chose to let him walk.
With averages of 32 points and 8 rebounds per game, Harris would be a boost to just about any team in the playoff picture.
Devin Ebanks – Springfield Armor
Yet another former NBA player cracks the list right away, as this time it’s former Los Angeles Lakers second-round pick Devin Ebanks. Ebanks was drafted in hopes of proving a steady presence on the wing, but he was just never able to get into a rhythm on either end of the court and was let go after three years.
Whether it was a summer to reflect on his game, or possibly just natural development (he’s still only 24), Ebanks has looked like a completely different player in the D-League this season.
He, too, was an All-Star, and deservedly so. He’s putting up 24 points and 8 rebounds per game, and he’s begun to learn a new position as a power forward. This newly found versatility could really come in handy off of the bench, as could his scoring prowess.
Teams like the Toronto Raptors (who are relying on John Salmons and Landry Fields on the wing), the New York Knicks (who don’t have a reliable small forward/power forward on the bench) and the San Antonio Spurs, who are in the same position as the Knicks, would be wise to give Ebanks a close look.
Willie Reed – Springfield Armor
Ebanks’ teammate in Springfield, Willie Reed, has never played in an NBA game throughout his professional career, but if he keeps playing the way that he has, that certainly won’t be the case.
Reed is the youngest player from this list, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that from his production this season. After going undrafted out of St. Louis University, the 6-foot-10 Reed went straight to the D-League and performed, averaging 14 points and 7 rebounds.
He’s managed to improve on that this year, even still averaging 14 points, but leading the league with a field goal percentage just a hair under 60%. On top of that, he’s grabbing 9 rebounds, and he’s known as one of the best defenders in the entire league.
He had a brief stint with the Grizzlies last season, but they seem to be set up front. The Miami Heat, who are in need of rebounding help, the Atlanta Hawks, who have been ravaged by injuries, and the Dallas Mavericks, who only have two players taller than 6’7 on their bench, could all use Reed’s services.
Kevin Murphy – Idaho Stampede
Selected in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz out of Tennessee Tech, Kevin Murphy was supposed to make some sort of impact in the NBA. He had just been named to the All-Ohio Valley Conference first team for the second year in a row, and his scoring prowess made him an interesting prospect.
Like many players you’ll find in the D-League, things didn’t go exactly as planned for him. He was sent down to the NBADL after just three games, and wound up only playing 52 minutes in the NBA his first season.
He eventually found himself being traded to the Golden State Warriors in the Andre Iguodala deal, and he was subsequently waived. He went to play in France, where he averaged 11 points per game in 18 minutes. He came back over at the start of 2014 and he’s doing even better here.
With 26 points per game on 50% shooting, he’d be a welcome addition to any team looking for a scoring punch.
EJ Singler – Idaho Stampede
Yet another pair of teammates make this list, as it’s E.J. Singler, the brother of Detroit Pistons’ guard Kyle Singler, who rounds out this list as the number five player who could make a difference on an NBA playoff team.
Singler was one of the better players in the history of the University of Oregon, making two All-Pac-12 teams in his four years there. He went undrafted, but signed with the Portland Trail Blazers in September. By October, he found himself looking for a team again, and that’s when the D-League came calling.
He signed on with Idaho, and the rest was history. He’s a more proficient 3-point shooter than his brother, as he’s hitting 47% of his more than five 3-point attempts per game this season. On top of that, he also won the 3-Point Contest during the D-League’s All-Star Weekend.
The Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers, and Charlotte Bobcats all rank in the bottom third of the league in bench 3-point shooting percentage, and a trusty shooter like Singler coming off of the bench could be exactly what they need.
Brian Rzeppa is a member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association who specializes in D-League coverage. Follow him on Twitter.