Daishen Nix
Undrafted and undaunted, Daishen Nix of Anchorage remains undefeated with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
The 19-year-old starting point guard flirted with a triple-double and earned bragging rights over fellow Alaskan JT Thor as the Vipers vanquished the Greensboro Swarm 123-101 to move to 2-0 in the NBA G League.
Nix collected seven points, eight rebounds, nine assists, three steals and a blocked shot in a 26-minute, do-it-all performance.
Four months after not getting picked in the NBA Draft, Nix has managed to flip the script. His draft-day disappointment has been replaced with redemption after the Houston Rockets signed him to a two-way contract, which allows him to bounce back and forth between the Rockets and Houston’s G League squad in Rio Grande.
Nix is on the Rockets’ active 17-man roster, but has yet to appear in any of Houston’s first 11 games. Nevertheless, he’s so close to playing in the NBA, he can touch it. That dream must have felt miles away on draft day.
But rather than grumble and crumble, he went back to the grind and worked his way back into the fold.
Now the 6-foot-5 Alaskan is reminding everybody what all the fuss was about. After the first week and a half of the G League season, he was one of eight players in the league to compile at least 15 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists.
Nix has a versatile game with his passing, rebounding and driving skills, but his world-class court vision is what sticks out most. He makes plays like he’s got eyes in the back of his head.
Daishen ➡️ Mfiondu 🤩
— RGV Vipers (@RGVVipers) November 11, 2021
Just because Nix wasn’t drafted didn’t mean NBA teams weren’t interested. Just days after the draft he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers for the NBA Summer League. The Sixers released him but Nix was quickly picked up by the Houston Rockets, who signed him to a non-guaranteed training camp deal.
He played in only one NBA preseason game, but the Rockets wanted to see more and signed up him. Several years ago NBA teams were allowed to expand rosters to 17 from 15, with two of them being two-way players.
A year ago, Nix turned pro straight out of high school after signing a six-figure deal with the G League as part of its new pathway program. He led the league in assists (5.3) to go with 8.8 points and 5.3 rebounds in the G League’s COVID-shortened 15-game season. He also helped the Ignite make the playoffs.
Although Nix was projected to get picked in the second round, his name was never called.
In the long run, though, it didn’t hurt him. Only 16 of the 30 second-round picks in 2021 have appeared in an NBA game, so Nix isn’t any worse off.
JT Thor
Anchorage’s JT Thor was drafted in the second round by the Charlotte Hornets and signed a seven-figure, multi-year deal.
Even still, the 6-foot-9 high riser has bounced back and forth between the NBA (2 games) and G League (3 games).
In that short amount of time, he has already added his name to the record book.
First, he became the fourth Alaskan to play in an NBA game. A week later he scored 34 points for Greensboro in what was the second-highest scoring effort by an Alaskan in the G League.
Thor turned pro after one season at Auburn University of the SEC.
Thor, 19, is averaging 16.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in three games with Greensboro. He seems to either score right at the rim or from 3-point land, creating a mismatch for opponents trying to defend his post-to-perimeter game.
Together, Thor and Nix represent the we-got-next generation for Alaska, giving the state its first two NBA signees since the Big 3 of Carlos Boozer, Mario Chalmers and Trajan Langdon.
