EJ Montgomery selected in 2nd round of NBA G-League Draft

It might sound like a made-up headline, but it is true. The New Orleans Pelicans’ affiliate team, the Birmingham Squadron, selected former Kentucky big man EJ Montgomery with the 41st overall pick (10th pick in the second round) of the NBA G-League Draft.

With the 41st pick in the NBA G League Draft, the Squadron select EJ Montgomery🔥

Welcome to #OneSquad, @EJMontgomery23! pic.twitter.com/ewComvBgeN

— Birmingham Squadron (@GleagueSquadron) October 26, 2024

What in the world is the NBA G-League Draft, you ask? Good question. Unlike the actual NBA Draft, the G-League Draft is the final step in filling out a team’s roster. That is why a handful of teams chose not to select anyone when they were on the clock.

Teams who do draft players, select from a pool of undrafted college players, international prospects, and players who were recently waived by NBA teams following training camp. The latter is how NBA veteran Landry Shamet went 2nd overall.

In that mix of players was EJ Montgomery, who fell victim to the dreaded, “I’ve been at Kentucky under John Calipari for two years and yet am not an NBA prospect so I guess that means I’m a failure and must leave,” mentality.

Montgomery averaged 4.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in right at 19 minutes per game during his two seasons in Lexington. After a tryout from the Milwaukee Bucks that did not pan out, he signed with a Lithuanian squad and then played in Japan for the last two years, where he did well enough to earn the attention of G League scouts.

Good luck to EJ and his quest to make an NBA roster. With enough G-League success, he could very well join fellow ‘Cats Antonio Reeves and Brandon Boston Jr. in New Orleans one day.