Free agent | |
---|---|
Position | Shooting guard / small forward |
Personal information | |
Born | Port St. Lucie, Florida, U.S. | January 24, 1997
Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
Career information | |
High school |
|
College | Wyoming (2015–2019) |
NBA draft | 2019: 2nd round, 40th overall pick |
Selected by the Sacramento Kings | |
Playing career | 2019–present |
Career history | |
2019– 2021 | Sacramento Kings |
2019–2020 | → Stockton Kings |
2021–2022 | Cleveland Charge |
2022–2023 | Metropolitans 92 |
2023 | Cleveland Charge |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Justin Taylor James (born January 24, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Wyoming Cowboys. [1] [2] [3] He was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft. [4] [5] [6]
A native of Port St. Lucie, Florida, James was an unheralded basketball recruit out of high school, generating only one high-major offer from Mississippi State, before ultimately going to the University of Wyoming. [7] He became a full-time contributor by his sophomore year and increased his scoring average each year. [7] James led the Mountain West Conference in scoring during his final season at Wyoming, averaging 22.1 points per game as a senior, [4] [5] [6] [7] despite playing as a point guard, a position he does not normally play, because Wyoming needed James to have the ball as much as possible during an 8–24 season. [7] He also led the Cowboys with 8.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, [5] [6] and made second-team All-Mountain West. James had a three-point field goal percentage of 33.7 percent during his college career. [4] Despite his high scoring, James posted career lows in field goal percentage (40.9 percent) and three-point field goal percentage (29.6 percent) during his senior high, as well as 4.1 turnovers per game. [7]
James finished his college career with 2,061 points, the third highest in Mountain West history. [6] He also participated in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, one of 64 seniors from around the country invited to the event. [8]
James was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft with the 40th overall pick, [4] [5] and became the first University of Wyoming player drafted since the Los Angeles Lakers selected Larry Nance Jr. in 2015. [5] CBS Sports had ranked James as the 96th-best prospect heading into the draft, while the Sporting News and NBADraft.net had him unranked, and most mock drafts did not predict he would be picked. [7] Sacramento general manager Vlade Divac said the team drafted him because they followed his college career and appreciated his passion and production: "We talked to everybody about his professionalism and his love for the game. We were so excited when we spent time with him in Sacramento." [7] On July 10, 2019, the Sacramento Kings announced that they had signed James. [9] On October 25, 2019, James made his debut in the NBA, coming off the bench in a 112–122 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers with two points. [10] He scored 30 points for the G League's Stockton Kings in a win over the Iowa Wolves on January 11, 2020. [11]
On September 22, 2021, James signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz. [12] However, he was waived on October 1. [13] On October 13, he signed with Cleveland Cavaliers, [14] but was waived three days later. [15] On October 23, he signed with the Cleveland Charge as an affiliate player. [16] James averaged 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. [17]
On December 26, 2021, the New Orleans Pelicans signed James to a 10-day contract. [17] However, he never appeared in a game for the team.
On January 5, 2022, James was reacquired by the Cleveland Charge. [18]
James joined the Orlando Magic for the 2022 NBA Summer League. [19]
On December 13, 2022, James signed with Metropolitans 92 of the LNB Pro A. [20]
On March 2, 2023, James was re-acquired by the Cleveland Charge. [21]
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019–20 | Sacramento | 36 | 0 | 6.4 | .417 | .310 | .476 | .9 | .5 | .2 | .3 | 2.5 |
2020–21 | Sacramento | 36 | 0 | 8.6 | .468 | .368 | .583 | .8 | .6 | .2 | .1 | 3.9 |
Career | 72 | 0 | 7.5 | .446 | .343 | .544 | .9 | .6 | .2 | .2 | 3.2 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015–16 | Wyoming | 31 | 3 | 16.6 | .418 | .358 | .565 | 2.1 | .8 | .3 | .4 | 5.1 |
2016–17 | Wyoming | 37 | 6 | 26.2 | .462 | .419 | .762 | 5.0 | 2.2 | .8 | .5 | 16.0 |
2017–18 | Wyoming | 32 | 32 | 31.2 | .472 | .308 | .726 | 6.0 | 3.1 | 1.1 | .5 | 18.9 |
2018–19 | Wyoming | 32 | 32 | 38.2 | .409 | .296 | .741 | 8.5 | 4.4 | 1.5 | .6 | 22.1 |
Career | 132 | 73 | 28.1 | .442 | .337 | .731 | 5.4 | 2.6 | .9 | .5 | 15.6 |