There are NBA fans who don’t pay much attention to two-way contracts. There’s a reason the player couldn’t get a standard contract, right? Since the two-way contract was introduced in 2017, every season there have been players on that contract who perform at the NBA level. Here are some examples of productive players in the 2023-24 season on two-way contracts.

The most productive players with two-way contracts in the 2023/24 season

Two-way contract signed before the start of the season

GG Jackson II, Memphis Grizzlies (F)

Jackson II was selected 45th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft and his first NBA contract was a two-way contract. He entered the Grizzlies’ rotation in mid-January after the team was ravaged by injuries. Despite appearing in only 48 games, Jackson II was enough to earn a spot on the All-Rookie Second Team. He averaged 14.6 points and 4.1 rebounds and scored 44 points against the Denver Nuggets on April 14. Memphis converted his contract to a standard one in February.

Vince Williams Jr., Memphis Grizzlies (G)

Williams Jr. was selected 47th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. In his rookie season, also on a two-way contract, he only played in 15 games for the Grizzlies. Last season, when Desmond Bane missed a lot of time due to injury, Williams Jr. was on the court much more frequently at the NBA level. In 52 games (33 starts), he averaged 10.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 37.8% from beyond the three-point line. He was converted to a standard contract in January.

Duop Reath, Portland Trail Blazers (C)

Reath, an undrafted 27-year-old rookie (now 28), was signed to a two-way contract just before the start of the 2023-24 season. Although Portland wasn’t very good, Reath was certainly a pleasant surprise. In 17.9 minutes per game, he finished with averages of 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds. The 6-foot-4 center shot a reasonable 35.9% three-point percentage. Reath’s contract became a standard deal in February.

Jared Butler, Washington Wizards (G)

After appearing in six games for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2022-23, the Wizards signed Butler to a two-way contract. He played 40 games for Washington and averaged 6.3 points and 3.2 assists in 14.2 minutes. The 6-foot-3 guard was good inside (60.2% two-point shooting) and even had two games with double-digit assist totals toward the end of the season. In early April, Butler’s contract was converted to a standard contract.

Keon Ellis, Sacramento Kings (G)

Ellis was also a two-way player for Sacramento in 2022-23, but played less than 100 total minutes for the team. He played 57 games (21 starts) for the Kings in 2023-24, shooting 41.7% from beyond the arc on the year. He provided excellent perimeter defense to a Kings team that needed it. Ellis’ emergence helped make Davion Mitchell expendable, as he was traded in the offseason.

Signed a two-way contract during the season

Vit Krecji, Atlanta Hawks (G)

On December 22, 2023, Krecji returned to Atlanta on a two-way contract. He appeared in 29 games for the Hawks in the 2022-23 season. While he played fewer games (22) in the 2023-24 season, Krecji started 14 games. He averaged 6.1 points and converted 41.2% of his attempts from three-point range. It was somewhat surprising that Atlanta did not convert him to a standard contract, which prevented him from participating in the play-in tournament.

Scotty Pippen Jr., Memphis Grizzlies (G)

Pippen Jr., the son of a Hall of Famer, joined Memphis in mid-January on a two-way contract. He played just six games, totaling 32 minutes, as part of a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2022-23 season. In 21 games (16 starts) for the Grizzlies last season, Pippen Jr. posted impressive averages of 12.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals.