THE DRIVE 2017 SELECT FOUR PLAYERS IN 2017 NBA G LEAGUE DRAFT
Four Returning, Two Affiliate, and Four Open Tryout Players Join the Drive’s Two-Way Players to Complete The 2017 17-Man Training Camp Roster.
The Grand Rapids Drive, the official NBA G League affiliate of the Detroit Pistons, selected four players in the 2017 NBA G League draft to complete their 17-man training camp roster.
The Drive selected Malcolm Bernard a 6-foot-5, 205-pound guard from Xavier University with the 13th overall pick in the 2017 NBA G League draft. In 38 games (35 starts) during the 2016-17 season with Xavier, Bernard averaged 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists. Bernard also had 10 double-figure scoring games, including a Xavier career-high 15 points (all in the second half) in the NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Arizona on March 23, 2017.
Below is the list of players selected by the Drive in the 2017 NBA G League Draft:
| 2017 NBA G League Draft Picks | |||||||||
| ROUND | # PICK | OVERALL | NAME | POS | HT | WT | D.O.B | SCHOOL | |
| 1 | 13 | 13 | Malcolm Bernard | G | 6’5 | 205 | 1/31/94 | Xavier University | |
| 2 | 5 | 31 | Wesley Da Silva | F | 6”6 | 195 | 5/2/96 | Mogi Guacu, Brazil | |
| 3 | 13 | 65 | Danrad“Chicken”Knowles | F/C | 6’10 | 179 | 11/2/92 | University of Houston | |
| 4 | 13 | 91 | Derrek Wilson | G | 6’1 | 216 | 1/29/92 | Marquette University | |
In addition to the four 2017 NBA G League draft picks, the Grand Rapids Drive announced today the team’s four returning, two affiliate and four open tryout players to complete the 2017 training camp roster. Chris Anderson, Bruce Massey, Jeff Newberry and Kevin “Speedy” Smith are the returning players. Derek Willis and Landry Nnoko as the affiliate players and the local tryout players are Tosin Mehinti, Cameron Vines, Jamel Morris and Jeremiah Ingram.
Per NBA rules, NBA teams are permitted to have two Two-Way players on their roster at any given time, in addition to their 15-man regular season roster. Two-Way players for the Pistons will provide services primarily for the Grand Rapids Drive, the team’s G League affiliate, but can spend up to 45 days with the Pistons, not including any time prior to the start of the Drive’s training camp and at the conclusion of their season. The Grand Rapids Drive two-way players are Dwight Buycks and Luis Montero.
This makes up the 17-man Grand Rapids Drive Training Camp Roster, below is a breakdown of each player.
Returning Players
Anderson, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward attended Louisiana Tech where he averaged 11.95 points and 4.59 rebounds per game in 37 contests (36 starts) in his senior year (2013-14 season). Joined the Grand Rapids Drive for the 2016-17 season after attending the local tryout. In 39 games played (19 starts) with the Drive, Anderson averaged 5.4 points, 4.9 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per contests.
Massey, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard from Middle Tennessee joined the Grand Rapids Drive in March of 2016 from the available player pool during the 2015-16 season. He finished the season off with the Drive where he averaged 10.9 points, 4.6 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game in 7 contests (2 starts). During the 2016-17 season, Massey appeared in 19 contests and averaged 4.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game.
Upshaw, the 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward from Hofstra University was selected in the 4th round with the 6th pick (72nd overall) in the 2016 NBA Development League Draft. During his first season (2016-17) with the Drive, Upshaw appeared in 34 contests (13 starts) and averaged 6.5 points and 3 rebounds per game.
Newberry, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard from Oklahoma State University was selected during the Drive’s 2016 open tryout. While with the Drive, Newberry appeared in 25 contests and averaged 3.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game.
Smith, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound point-guard out of Louisiana Tech averaged, in 140 games, 6.2 points, 6.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game, earning the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year honors as a junior and C-USA Player of the Year honors as a senior. After graduation, Smith attended several NBA pre-draft workouts for the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons however, he went undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft. In August 2015, Smith signed a two-year deal with VEF Rīga of the Latvian Basketball League. For the last two seasons (2015-16, 2016-17), Smith has appeared in 78 games (6 starts) for South Bay Lakers (previously the LA D-Fenders) and has had a combined career average of 5 points, 3.4 assists and 1 steal in 18.9 min per game. Arrived to the Grand Rapids Drive through a trade made with the South Bay Lakers on October 13th in exchanged for Drives original second round pick (39th overall) in the 2017 NBA G League Draft.
Affiliate Player
Willis, the 6-foot-9, 228-pound forward out of Kentucky University went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft. While at Kentucky, he appeared in 103 games over his four-year career with the Wildcats, turning in averages of 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest, while making 108 of his 271 shots taken from three-point territory in his college career. Willis won the SEC Tournament with the Wildcats in 2015, 2016 and 2017, advancing to the NCAA Final Four in 2015. At the start of the 2017-18 season, Willis was signed by the Detroit Pistons for Training Camp but was later waived, bringing him to the Drive training camp roster.
Nnoko, the 6-foot-10, 250-pound center from Clemson University went undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Nnoko earned Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) All-Defensive team honors. Following the close of his college career, Nnoko signed with Victoria Libertas Pesaro of Italy’s Serie A. He averaged 6.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for the 2016–17 season. Nnoko was signed by the Detroit Pistons for Training Camp but was later waived, bringing him to the Drive training camp roster.
Local Open Tryout Players
Mehinti, Vines, Morris and Ingram attended the Grand Rapids Drive’s open tryout on October 1, 2017 and have been selected to join the others for the 2017 Drive training camp. Mehinti, a 6-foot-9, 244-pound forward attended University of Alabama – Birmingham and had a four-year career of appearing in 130 contests (74 starts) averaging 5.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. Vines, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard from St. Joseph College appeared in 28 contests (26 starts) and averaged 20.4 pts, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists during his senior year (2014-15 season). While at St. Joseph College, Vines received GLVC All-Second Team in both 2014 and 2015. Morris, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard from Fairmont State University earned second team All-MEC honors (2015, 2016) and was named to the MEC All-Tournament Team (2014-15). During his 2014-15 season, Morris appeared in 31 contests (31 starts) having per game averages of 17.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.4 steals. During his 2015-16 season, Morris appeared in 30 contests (29 starts) with per game averages of 13.8 points, 3.07 rebounds, and 1.80 assists. Ingram, the 6-foot-7, 215-pound guard attended North Carolina Central University during the 2015-16 season averaged 10.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Finished in the top-15 of the MEAC in rebounding and field goal percentage at a rate of 46.2 percent.
Below is the complete 2017 Training Camp Roster for the Grand Rapids Drive.
| The Drive 2017 Training Camp Roster | ||||||
| PLAYER | POS | HT | WT | D.O.B | SCHOOL | STATUS |
| Dwight Buycks | G | 6’3 | 190 | 3/6/89 | Marquette University | Two-Way |
| Luis Montero | G/F | 6’7 | 190 | 4/6/93 | Westchester Community College | Two-Way |
| Malcolm Bernard | G | 6’5 | 205 | 1/31/94 | Xavier University | Draft Pick |
| Wesley Da Silva | F | 6”6 | 195 | 5/2/96 | Mogi Guacu, Brazil | Draft Pick |
| Danrad “Chicken” Knowles | F/C | 6’10 | 179 | 11/2/92 | Houston | Draft Pick |
| Derrek Wilson | G | 6’1 | 216 | 1/29/92 | Marquette University | Draft Pick |
| Derek Willis | F | 6’9 | 228 | 6/21/95 | Kentucky University | Affiliate |
| Landry Nnoko | C | 6’10 | 250 | 4/9/94 | Clemson University | Affiliate |
| Kenneth “Speedy” Smith | G | 6’3 | 180 | 1/28/93 | Louisiana Tech | Returning |
| Zeke Upshaw | F | 6’6 | 215 | 5/27/91 | Hofstra University | Returning |
| Jeff Newberry | G | 6’2 | 185 | 9/22/92 | Oklahoma State University | Returning |
| Bruce Massey | G | 6’3 | 195 | 9/2/90 | Middle Tennessee State | Returning |
| Chris Anderson | F | 6’6 | 220 | 8/16/92 | Louisiana Tech | Returning |
| Tosin Mehinti | F | 6’9 | 244 | 5/30/94 | University of Alabama – Birmingham | Local Tryout |
| Cameron Vines | G | 6’4 | 200 | 7/29/93 | St. Joseph College | Local Tryout |
| Jamel Morris | G | 6’4 | 200 | 11/14/92 | Fairmont State University | Local Tryout |
| Jeremiah Ingram | G/F | 6’7 | 215 | 10/5/93 | North Carolina Central University | Local Tryout |