Report: Josh Akognon accepts training camp invite with Mavericks (Update)

Update Sept. 18, 3:57 pm: Guard Josh Akognon officially waived his opt-out clause with the Liaoning Jiebao Hunters for a training camp invite with the Dallas Mavericks according to David Pick. If he fails to earn a roster spot with Dallas, the D-League, where Akognon spent three games with the Canton Charge last season, and another stint in the Chinese Basketball League remain possibilities.

Hat-tip to Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside.

Sept. 1, 1:03 pm: Akognon reportedly will workout with the Spurs on Sept. 11-12 according to Pick.

Hat-tip to RG8907 of Pounding the Rock.

Aug. 14, 9:04 am: The San Antonio Spurs are reportedly interested in inviting Akognon, 26, to training camp according to Pick. Orlando, Dallas, Milwaukee and Indiana are also reportedly in the mix.

Akognon is allowed to visit NBA training camps via an out-clause from his Chinese team. Should he not get an opportunity, he would go back to China to play in the CBA.

Bullet shooter Josh Akognon is mulling over camp invites from #Mavs, #Pacers & #Magic, or high paying offers from China, via source.

— David Pick (@IAmDPick) August 9, 2012

Akognon is an excellent scorer as he contains two essential qualities in a scorer; his elite speed coupled with a potent jump shot allows him to get off an array of shots against his competition. He’s also proficient at getting to the foul line, where he converted on 89.2% of his foul line attempts in his senior year with Cal State Fullerton.

The knock on him, though, is that Akognon is undersized. Standing 5’11”, he’s at a fundamental disadvantage against every NBA caliber player. His lateral quickness allows him to stay in front of most players, but his size deters him from contesting their shots. Akognon also struggles with involving his teammates, trusting his scoring ability instead. That facet of his game will need to develop to complement his scoring ability. Akognon is, in essence, a smaller, less talented Patty Mills.

Other than a three-game stint with the Canton Charge, Akognon doesn’t have any experience across the pond. His scoring translated to the D-League, meanwhile, as he averaged 16 points and 48.6% shooting. Akognon jacked up a ton of 3-pointers in that span as well indicating that he is an insatiable scorer. A brief 0:28 video on Akognon is below.

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Hat-tip to NBADraftNet.com for the player synopsis and video.