The beautiful story continues for Kenneth Lofton Jr.! Undrafted and signed a two-way contract with Memphis, the native of Port Arthur has managed to build a solid reputation in the G League, to the point of being named Rookie of the Year 2022-2023!
We have to believe that this player will always surprise us. Revealed to the eyes of the world in the final of the U19 World Cup against the Blues in 2021, Kenneth Lofton Jr. has not really had an easy journey. Despite good NCAA stats at Louisiana Tech, he was not selected on Draft night. No big deal, the kid made his place in the Summer League, to the point of convincing the Grizzlies to offer him a two-way contract. The little deal that allows you to train quietly in the G League and make a few stints with team one on occasion. Appeared 19 times this season in the NBA (only 5 minutes on average for 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds), KLJ was mostly shown on the lower floor.
In G League, he was able to get playing time and responsibilities. The result ? 22.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals on 54% shooting. What nab a place in the G League team of the Rising Star but also a reward of the season. The G League indeed announced yesterday that the Hustle player was named Rookie of the Year!
Memphis Grizzlies Two-Way forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. has been named the 2022-23 Kia NBA G League Rookie of the Year for his play with the Memphis Hustle. pic.twitter.com/H0fwQCMPbc
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) March 31, 2023
Not so bad for someone who wasn’t even sure he had a place in the League until a few months ago. Now that he has proven himself in the G League, we imagine that the interior will want to taste a little more of the games of the Great League. It remains to be seen what plans Memphis has for him. The interior sector is rather well supplied in Tennessee at the moment, not really enough to guarantee him a minimum playing time every evening. We’ll see what Taylor Jenkins and the Grizzlies have planned for the guy’s future. We probably haven’t finished hearing about Kenneth Lofton Jr.