Tornike Shengelia

Brooklyn ­- Tornike Shengelia: Shengelia is in the midst of a sophomore slump, and his performances early thus far this season are worryingly inferior to last season's. The mistake prone but ultimately skilled inside/outside big man remains worryingly mistake prone, and, given some NBA run to start this season on the dysfunctional Nets, looked highly overmatched. However, rejoining the Springfield Armor over the weekend for the third time this season, Shengelia finally showed once again what is to like, putting up 23 points on 13 shots in only 27 minutes, with deft touch and footwork. He remains a worthwhile project.

Toko Shengelia

Shengelia is a shining example of what the D-League is for. Signed to a guaranteed contract but destined for the inactive list, Shengelia was assigned to the Springfield Armor five times, and played ten games, including posting a 23 point, 10 rebound, 12 assist triple-double on debut, his first competitive game for months. Shengelia finished the season with D-League averages of 24.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, on percentages of 53%/37%/68%. He also managed a double double in 25 minutes of the final NBA game of the season, hinting at his future promise. Huge turnover numbers accompany all this output - lest we forget, Shengelia is only 21 and still raw. But his inside/outside game, versatility, passing, smarts, savvy, agility, skills and mismatch potential all make for a rare combination, and he's productive with it all. There's a reason Brooklyn gave up MarShon Brooks and Kris Joseph in the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce deal rather than Shengelia and Reggie Evans, and it wasn't Evans.