The Atlanta Hawks waived Eli Ndiaye on New Year’s Eve, opening a two-way spot on the roster. Ndiaye suffered a torn labrum in a G League matchup on December 9th and received a season-ending surgery shortly after.
Ndiaye was signed shortly after going undrafted this past offseason and made a name for himself in summer league. While he only played 21 minutes before being sidelined for a wrist injury, he dropped 12 points and six boards in what was a dominant performance from the rookie. He was so impressive that ESPN's Kevin Pelton labeled him the best undrafted rookie in summer league despite the limited sample size.
This is the second two-way player to be waived this month, after Jacob Toppin also suffered a season-ending torn labrum. Toppin was replaced by Malik Williams, a stretch five who replaced N’Faly Dante’s spot as Onsi Saleh’s “developmental big.”
Ndiaye will be replaced by RayJ Dennis, a former Clippers and Pacers two-way guard who was waived three days ago by Los Angeles.
This move comes as a major surprise, despite the injury
RayJ Dennis is a point guard who received serious NBA playing time with the Pacers after they lost star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. A 6’1 floor general, Dennis is an exciting playmaker with an intriguing jump shot, but he’s shot a ghastly 32.6% from two point range in his brief NBA career.
As of today, this figure could be what determines whether he'll stick in the league. If he can't score at the rim, he has limited value as an offensive point guard. If he can, his other skills can help him be a solid bench option for years to come.
Dennis is a fantastic player and certainly deserves a two-way spot. After being waived in Indiana, the Clippers signed him as their replacement for Chris Paul. Dennis would only play four minutes for Los Angeles, however, who waived Dennis in favor of former first rounder TyTy Washington Jr.
This move is surprising, however, because Atlanta waived their most promising two-way talent to pull it off. Yes, Ndiaye will not play this season, and perhaps his development will be delayed as a result. Still, the Hawks’ move to acquire Ndiaye seemed like a forward-thinking move at the time, and he has impressed in limited action thus far.
The Hawks’ three two-way spots are now occupied by Dennis, Williams, and Caleb Houstan. While Houstan is the better NBA player today, Ndiaye has a ceiling as a legitimate NBA role player. To the contrary, Houstan is struggling to see the floor on an Atlanta team desperate for wing minutes – despite shooting 50% from three.
RayJ Dennis has a complicated path to the rotation, as he is currently the sixth guard on the depth chart (Young, Daniels, NAW, Kennard, Wallace). Perhaps Dennis will be used as an alternative to the struggling Kennard and Wallace if their performance cannot improve.