The path to the NBA has drastically changed since the league’s inception, and particularly since it raised the age minimum to 19 years in 2005. In years past, college was the most ideal option for American prospects before declaring for the NBA Draft.

In 2020, however, G League Ignite and the Overtime Elite opened up new pathways for elite high school talent. Each is a program where players train as professionals before becoming eligible to enter the NBA at 19. On Thursday, three of the top 10 picks in the 2023 NBA Draft are expected to come from the two new pipelines.

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What are the two leagues and who are the draft prospects? Here’s what you must know.

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How the leagues compare to college

Prospects have options to consider for their future starting in the 10th grade. The usual path for prospects, since the age minimum’s inception, was to attend college for at least one year before going pro. With other development options like Overtime Elite, G League Ignite or other overseas leagues becoming more prominent, the traditional route to the NBA could become less common.

College basketball has long been viewed as the safest option, with free education and the opportunity to go back to school year after year to develop. Prior to 2021, college athletes could not make money off their name, image or likeness (NIL). During that time period many of the top high-school prospects opted to join the Ignite or OTE. The NCAA had to respond, thus came the legalization of student athletes being able to make make money through NIL.

With players now legally making thousands of dollars and being allowed to transfer once without sitting out, college has become an even more attractive route in recent years — even as a number of other options have emerged.

Some NBA scouts still believe it is the best route.

“In my opinion, college is the best option,” one scout told The Athletic. “You can hide in college. You can’t hide in the G League. NBA teams see you and your flaws. If I were an agent, I’d tell my client to go to college.”

What is NBA G League Ignite?

G League Ignite is a developmental team that plays a NBA G-League schedule, but it is comprised of younger prospects looking to make it to the NBA and select veterans who have already had a career in the league. The Ignite is only for post-high school graduates and is considered an alternative pathway to the NBA beyond the collegiate route. Prospects can earn up to $1 million to join the team as teenagers.

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The team’s season is broken into two parts: a 32-game regular season and an 18-game Showcase Cup.

A player may earn financial incentives for participating in G-League games, attending community events and attending life skills programs. Additionally, players receive full scholarships to Arizona State University, which partners with the NBA. Prospects that play in the Ignite are ineligible to play college basketball.

What is Overtime Elite?

Overtime Elite is a closed league for 16- to 20-year-olds where players are paid $100,000 a year plus signing bonuses, as well as given stock shares in the Overtime company. Players in this league can also maintain their college eligibility by choosing the scholarship option.

The league consists of six teams. In 2022-23, each team played a 15-game schedule. All games are played at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.

Players get health and disability insurance and $100,000 in college scholarships if they decide not to pursue professional basketball.

What are the differences between the two programs?

G-League Ignite players must be high-school graduates, while OTE players can join the league as they finish high school.

As 18-year-olds, players in G League Ignite learn what it takes to be a professional, both mentally and physically. They’re presented with resources to teach them about financing, budgeting, community service involvement and basketball business.

OTE, meanwhile, offers traditional high-school courses such as math, history and english along with financial literacy, media training and mental health and wellness. OTE provides 4:1 or 1:1 academic support and content-specific tutoring based on athletes’ self-directed learning goals. Each week, students receive personalized instruction to help them meet their learning goals.

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The Athletic spoke to two NBA scouts about the difference between G League Ignite and Overtime Elite. They were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

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Anonymous NBA scout No. 1: “I don’t really see a way to compare the two other than they are not the traditional paths that is college. Ignite is more of the pro/minor-league route and a one-year waiting process for the NBA.

“It seems OTE is more about the development cycle that includes on- and off-the-floor investment. There are positives to both sides, with the Ignite being the NBA umbrella and playing against pros or the closest things to it, while the OTE circuit might have a greater investment in the entire body of work.”

Anonymous NBA scout No. 2: “In theory, OTE has a place. It’s a viable source for you if you’re an NBA prospect with positional size and skill in ninth to 11th grade. OTE is like a trade school with rehab, strength conditioning, meal preparation, skill development, and film review. It’s like you’re an apprentice.

“Instead of going to school for seven hours a day, you could train. It’s the best model on paper. If you had to choose between OTE and Montverde (Academy, a prep school in Florida), pick OTE. You’re getting every resource you need to be a pro. The problem with the model is they aren’t being challenged, they don’t play anybody.

“The G League is OTE on steroids. You’re the second-best competition on the planet. The only better is the NBA. You have all the resources you need to develop, you’re getting NBA terminology, being watched by every NBA team. What’s better than that?”

Who are the 2023 draft prospects from G League Ignite and Overtime Elite?

Eight players from the Ignite and OTE made Sam Vecenie’s 2023 top-100 Big Board. Here are his scouting reports on all eight:

No. 2, Scoot Henderson (Ignite guard): In many other drafts, Henderson would be the No. 1 pick. He just happens to be in the same draft as Victor Wembanyama. Henderson is that good. He’s going to be an exceptionally hard problem to solve for defenses from the first day he hits the NBA because of how well-rounded he is in ball-screen actions. He can pull up and hit floaters, get all the way to the rim and finish with authority or touch, play slow or fast, and can make high-level passing reads. On top of that, he’s going to force the action in transition and drive easy points that way, as well as be the guy from day one who sets the tone for your organization due to his competitiveness and drive. Henderson is truly an elite, franchise-altering prospect. No. 2 is no consolation prize in this year’s class. — Vecenie

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No. 5, Amen Thompson (OTE guard): Thompson has all the physical tools you could ask for in an NBA prospect. He will enter the league as one of its best athletes. He has great creativity and has grown up as a point guard, which gives him a tremendous sense of how to read the floor. He’s aggressive and plays with an extremely switched-on motor. His athleticism and willingness to push the pace in transition alone will allow him to be tremendously productive. His ceiling is All-NBA if everything breaks right. But his floor is probably a bit lower than you’d think, too. The shooting is a genuine flaw that will be difficult to fix. The other flaws are substantive within his game and could cause him issues in the half court. Thompson is a bet on your developmental team if you’re selecting him in the top five.

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He has all the upside you could ask for, and he’s willing to work. Both Thompson brothers are terrific competitors and are willing to put in the time and effort when it comes to getting better. I think I would bet on Amen to figure out everything else outside of the shooting. Where you slot him will depend almost entirely upon your philosophy on how essential shooting is for lead creators who can pressure the rim and make passing reads at an elite level. There is a case for him as high as No. 2 in the class purely due to his athletic tools, his ability to pressure the rim and incredible feel for the game as a passer. — Vecenie

No. 9, Ausar Thompson (OTE guard): In my opinion, the shooting question is much more important for Ausar than it is for Amen. Because Ausar figures to be playing off the ball much more often, he’ll be asked to space the floor and not allow his man to sag off him and shrink the floor in a significant way. If he can’t shoot, there’s a chance it’s hard for him to start in the NBA. That’s why his floor is a bit lower than Amen’s, in my view. Having said that, if he does shoot it – and again, both twins are extremely high-level workers – the ceiling for Ausar is very high. It would open his game entirely on offense because it would allow him to be that secondary creator who plays out of ball screens on the second side but also can attack off the catch off kickouts to continue to bend defenses. His driving game would open because he’d be able to attack more often in straight lines. His passing is terrific for a secondary creator at 6-foot-7.

His defense has real upside that is probably just below All-Defense caliber. All that leads to a legitimate All-Star ceiling. The player he most reminds me of is Andre Iguodala right now. It’s all going to come down to how much you trust the human beings involved and how confident you feel in how the ball comes out of his hands even if the mechanics are a work in progress. If you’re a believer, you might have Ausar as high as No. 4 on your board. If you’re not, it’s reasonable to have him somewhere more in the middle of the first round. I’m much more on the believer side because I see him figuring out an answer on the jumper. But there is some risk. — Vecenie

No. 13, Leonard Miller (Ignite forward): Miller is going to be an incredibly polarizing prospect. He was last cycle as well. The only difference is that this time evaluators are forced into making a decision on him as opposed to being able to kick the can down the road. The other key difference is that Miller has displayed success against elite competition after his last month and a half in the G League. Miller does stuff you can’t really teach. He’s a big ballhandler who hits the glass and can really attack and cover ground quickly with long strides but also decelerate and change direction with the ball. His athleticism is a rare blend. He’s an elite finisher with incredible touch around the basket – the touch that kind of gives you hope long term that an elite shooting coach will be able to fix it. There’s some passing ability here. There’s some defensive upside here. It’s all just in the form of an entirely unshaped diamond who may never reach its full form because he’s starting from such a deficit in terms of experience.

Miller had never played a level above the Ontario Scholastic League prior to this past season. He didn’t get to play AAU basketball against high-level athletes who can match him. Before he played at Nike Hoop Summit and the combine last year, he’d never even consistently played in games against Division I-level talent. For him to figure out the G League within a year is remarkable when put in that context. But, even with that terrific play, he still has a lot of warts that will be taken advantage of to a greater degree in the NBA.

I just hope Miller goes to a positive developmental situation that will be willing to take their time and teach him. The intel is pristine. He is a sponge who wants to learn. If you’re willing to be patient, you could end up with a steal. To answer the question posed above regarding a lack of experience meaning lost reps or upside, I think the answer depends on the person. With Miller, I tend to buy that there is real upside here because I buy the human being involved. Miller is intellectually curious and wants to be great at basketball. I’ll bet that he can pick up the time he’s lost already because I think he’ll put in the extra time to do so. — Vecenie

No. 32, Sidy Cissoko (Ignite wing): Cissoko has many skills that translate toward him being a terrific role player. He’s a sharp passer and processor of the game. He understands the game out of ball screens and can act as a secondary guy for your primary backcourt option. Defensively, he’s tough and physical on the ball with real switchability. Plus, off the ball, he’s smart as a scrambler and help rotational wing. Those are all things NBA teams love to look for. Ultimately, it’s all about whether Cissoko can be any kind of scoring threat.

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I don’t love him as an on-ball scorer and think he has a long way to go if he’s ever going to reach a reasonable level there, which means the swing skill is his catch-and-shoot ability. Cissoko is on a positive trajectory after shooting about 24 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s in Spain in 2021-22. But, just because he’s on a positive trajectory, doesn’t mean it’s a positive. If Cissoko shoots, he’ll be valuable as a rotational wing who has some starter upside. If he doesn’t, he might be more of a part-time rotation guy in a couple of years. — Vecenie

No. 64, Mojave King (Ignite guard): I think King makes a lot of sense on a two-way contract right now. He’s in the ballpark of 6-foot-5 in shoes, has a legitimate 8-foot-5 standing reach and should have the size to play at the two. He’s also already an impactful defensive player. And he’s clearly an NBA-caliber athlete, even if it’s not wildly functional because his hip flexibility could stand to be better, and he needs to really load up to access his vertical leap.

The swing skill is the jumper. If he ever becomes a 38 percent 3-point shooter, he’ll have a chance to play in the NBA. The only question is how long it takes to get there. Can he become a consistent 3-point shooter before NBA teams move onto different, younger players in the future? If he does, he has a chance to stick. But, again, being a non-shooter, non-creator and non-passer is a tough way to stick as a guard in the NBA. He needs to tick some of those boxes sooner rather than later. — Vecenie

No. 73, Jaylen Martin (OTE wing): Martin needs much refinement, but you can at least see a world where, five years down the line, the guy who is 6-foot-5 without shoes, has a 6-foot-11 wingspan and has real explosiveness plus fluidity in and out of his moves can play in the NBA. Especially if he’s going to be willing to make defense his calling card night in and night out. Martin needs to get as good as he can on the defensive end of the court while also finding a home that will specialize in working on his jumper. If he does that, he’ll best position himself for success. He’s probably more of an Exhibit 10 guy, but I wouldn’t have an NBA team buying in and going for it on a two-way. — Vecenie

No. 88, Jazian Gortman (OTE guard): Gortman will be a long-term project, but there is upside as he can play either guard spot and showed his ability to score this past season. The 6-foot-2, 184-pound guard averaged 13.9 points, 3.9 assists and 4.8 rebounds while recording the third-highest maximum vertical jump in the G-League Elite Camp. His hard-nosed nature is similar to a Patrick Beverly-type guard. He takes pride in defense, especially with his long arms and loves to get to the mid-range to elevate over defenders for pull-up jumpers. He plays well through contact and is a vocal leader on the floor. Gortman is a shifty guard that plays at a fast tempo but is learning and improving on his pace. He has good lateral quickness and knows how to get to his spot to create. If the long-range jumper can be consistent at a high level, he could make an NBA roster and find a role as a rotational guard down the line. — Bass

Past draftees from G League Ignite and Overtime Elite

The G League Ignite has had six players drafted and two undrafted free agents make an NBA roster over the past two years. Its most notable alumni are Jalen Green (Rockets, No. 2 pick in 2021), Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors, No. 7 pick in 2021), Dyson Daniels (Pelicans, No. 8 pick in 2022) and Jaden Hardy (Mavericks, No. 37 pick in 2022).

OTE’s prospects include undrafted forward Dominick Barlow, the only NBA player so far. He was on a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs last season.

(Photo: Christian Bonin / Getty Images)