Guangdong Men's Basketball Team has had a disappointing season in terms of their foreign guard signings. Despite Zhu Fangyu bringing in three players - Barton, Arms, and Reese - none of them have lived up to expectations, with their performances falling short and ultimately leading to their release from the team. In this context, Xu Jie has become the core of the backcourt, showing noticeable improvement. However, his continuous playing time exceeding 40 minutes per game has taken a toll on his body, resulting in some discomfort. For Guangdong Men's Basketball, signing a new foreign guard has become urgent. Now, there is concrete news on this matter. According to Zhejiang media, Guangdong Men's Basketball has completed the signing of former NBA player Daejon Ely, who will soon join the team.
Let's delve into how the news about Guangdong signing Ely came to light. On January 4th, the Timberwolves waived guard Daejon Ely to make room for Newton in their roster. Subsequently, domestic media reported that several CBA teams, including Guangdong Men's Basketball, Zhejiang Men's Basketball, and Qingdao Men's Basketball, expressed strong interest in Daejon Ely, with some even offering him contracts.
On January 8th, an informed source revealed that Guangdong Men's Basketball had signed Daejon Ely. This source has been accurate in the past, having previously disclosed information about Guangdong Men's Basketball signing Arms and Zhejiang Men's Basketball signing Simmons, with detailed information provided. Even the fact that Guangdong Men's Basketball outbid Zhejiang Men's Basketball for Arms was revealed by this source. Based on this, it seems that the news of Guangdong Men's Basketball signing Daejon Ely is indeed true.
Moving on to Daejon Ely's background. Many domestic fans are already familiar with him. Born in 2002 and standing at 1.93 meters tall, he is a very young guard with outstanding talent. He was once a five-star high school player in the class of 2020, even being hailed as the top point guard in the United States by the media. After high school, Daejon Ely began playing in the Development League, averaging 8.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. The Rockets then signed him, and Daejon Ely started playing in the NBA during the 21-22 season.
During his time with the Rockets, Daejon Ely's performance was explosive. Many games that the Rockets had an advantage in would mysteriously be lost whenever he stepped onto the court. As a result, many fans gave him the nickname "Tank Destroyer"! Over two seasons, from 21-22 to 22-23, Daejon Ely played a total of 81 games, averaging 3.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2 assists in 14.5 minutes per game, with an overall shooting percentage below 40% and a three-point shooting percentage under 30%. After being cut by the Rockets in 2023, Daejon Ely joined the Timberwolves but did not receive many opportunities, with unsatisfactory statistics. This season, he played a total of 3 games, averaging 4.3 minutes per game, scoring 1 point, grabbing 4 rebounds, and dishing out 3 assists, which led to his release.
Despite this, Daejon Ely's abilities are quite good. This season, he was also sent down to the G League, where he averaged 22.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 2.9 steals over 10 games, showcasing a brilliant performance. In terms of characteristics, Daejon Ely is a heavyweight guard, with a weight of 206 pounds making him like a small tank, unstoppable when charging forward. Combined with his excellent organizational skills, he is undoubtedly a very capable player. The only drawback is his shooting ability, which is relatively poor, especially in mid-to-long-range shots. However, for the CBA league, his shooting should still be sufficient. Overall, Daejon Ely should be the best guard that Guangdong Men's Basketball can currently sign, and we hope he can deliver impressive performances after joining the team!