Xavier Moon is standing in the lobby of the UCLA Health Training Center postgame on Mar. 27. He had just put up 21 points, dished out eight assists and pulled down seven rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the South Bay Lakers as the Agua Caliente Clippers slipped into third place in the Western Conference in the G League playoff standings.
It’s been a heavy week for Moon. This was his first game back for Agua Caliente after having missed the previous two due to the death of a family member. It was also his first game after officially signing a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.
His teammate Emmitt Williams comes strolling into the lobby from the locker room, sees Moon, and proclaims that he is the, “best point guard in the G League.” Moon laughs and continues with the interview.
Williams may have a point. Moon’s G League numbers may not be popping off the stat sheet. He’s averaging 18.7 points per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three-point range, 4.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists. Except for his assist numbers, none of his other stats place him in the top ten in the G League for those categories.
But between his presence on the court, his ability to run the offense, find open teammates, get scoring opportunities when he needs to, and lock up on the defensive end while helping lead his team to a top seed, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more impactful point guard in the G League.
That impact is what led the Clippers to bring him aboard on a two-way contract. Earlier in the day, the team had announced that they were converting Amir Coffey’s two-way deal into a standard NBA contract. To free up the roster spot, they waived Semi Ojeleye, a seldom-used forward who arrived in the Serge Ibaka trade, and in turn, they had a vacant two-way spot.
For Moon, this is the culmination of all the work he’s put in in his professional career thus far.
“It’s all the hard work you’ve put in to get to this point. I’m here and I want to stay,” Moon told 213Hoops. “I’m just going to be who I am. I’m not trying to go in and do something that I don’t do. They know me well, I played with them a couple of games before. I’m going in there and whatever they need me to do, I’m doing it.”
And Moon has certainly worked hard to get to the NBA. After high school, he didn’t have many offers save for a couple of community colleges. He ended up signing with Northwest Florida State College. In his two years of junior college eligibility, Moon averaged 6.1 points per game and during his sophomore season, he was named Sixth Man of the Year as Northwest Florida State won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national championship.
He ultimately played Division 1 college basketball when he transferred to Morehead State for his junior and senior seasons. As a junior, he became the first player in school history to get a triple-double with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in Dec. 2016 against Central Arkansas. As a senior, he was named to the Ohio Valley State Conference First Team and led the Eagles in scoring at 16.0 points per game.
Although he managed to make it to the D1 level, he looks back fondly on his junior college years and believes it’s an option more young players should take a serious look at.
“I think people look down on Juco. . .I had a different vision for myself. I knew I needed to get stronger. I had the game at the time but I knew that was the right decision for me,” Moon said. “I don’t regret the decision that I made to go to junior college. I tell a lot of people that Division 1 is not for everybody. You might have to go to Division 2 or Division 3. But if you’re good, you’ll be found.”
Since becoming a professional basketball player in 2017, Moon’s journey has taken him to France and Israel, but he got most of his pro experience playing in Canada. During the 2018-19 season, he signed with the London Lightning of the National Basketball League (NBL) Canada. He played in 40 games for the Lightning and put up 13.7 points per game, 4.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
The following season, he switched over to the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) with the Edmonton Stingers. He was named league MVP that season while averaging 19.3 points per game and 5.7 assists. It was then that he first tried his luck with the G League and the Raptors 905, but ended up being one of their final roster cuts.
He had a couple more stints with both the Lighting and the Stingers before finally breaking through and sticking with Agua Caliente at the beginning of this season. He left Canada as a two-time CEBL champion, two-time CEBL Finals MVP and three-time CEBL MVP. For Moon, the competition in Canada was on par with what he’s seen in the G League, and it definitely helped with his development as a player.
“I’ve been playing in Canada for the last three years. My fanbase grew significantly, I’ve always enjoyed playing there,” Moon said. “The competition was pretty much the same as here. You got a lot of guys that are under the radar because they come from Canada or they go bouncing around from country to country. Everybody’s trying to get their opportunity and there’s a lot of talent in Canada.”
That opportunity for Moon has finally come. It wasn’t a complete surprise that the Clippers decided to use their vacant two-way spot on Moon. When they traded Eric Bledsoe to the Portland Trail Blazers, there was no clear-cut pure point guard on the roster aside from Reggie Jackson. It seemed like extra insurance at the point was something the Clippers might look into especially with neither Ojeleye nor Rodney Hood expected to factor into the rotation.
Since the trade deadline, the Clippers have used that time to get Coffey and Terance Mann more experience running point guard and getting to have the ball in their hands, but they finally pulled the trigger last weekend by bringing in Moon.
He arrives with a little bit of familiarity too. Back in December, the Clippers were not spared when the entire league was hit with positive COVID-19 cases. As a result of so many depleted rosters, the NBA allowed teams to sign G League players to hardship contracts to get up to the minimum number of healthy players needed to play a game.
Moon was one of those the Clippers called up and he spent a little less than a month with the team. They signed him to a 10-day contract on Dec. 26, a second 10-day contract on Jan. 4 and a third 10-day contract on Jan. 14. By the end of his last 10-day, the Clippers roster had begun to get healthy and he was reacquired by Agua Caliente.
Now back with the Clippers on an official contract, Moon has a leg up in that he’s already familiar with what the team needs from him and he’s ready and willing to do just that should he get the chance.
“I can bring energy, speed, quickness, being a smart player and just the way that I distribute the ball,” Moon said. “But I can also score. Whatever it is they need me to do, I’m willing to do it. I’m really looking forward to this.”
The Clippers only have a handful of games left in the regular season and as a two-way contract player, Moon is not eligible to appear in any playoff games. He appeared in six games for the Clippers earlier this year and depending on how far Agua Caliente gets in the postseason, the final days of the NBA regular season might be spent in the G League.
Moon’s signing appears to be a move for next season. He’ll be able to go through an entire offseason, summer league, and full training camp while they bring him along and develop him as an NBA player. But how much development Moon will need might vary. After all, he isn’t your typical NBA rookie.
“I’m soaking up as much information as I can. It’s crazy that I’m a rookie at 27, but I’m not really a rookie cause I’ve been playing, this is my sixth year as a pro,” Moon said. “So I have the experience on my bill even though it’s not in the league. I know how to play the game, I know how to get guys involved, I know how to run the team. I think I can bring that and I’m just enjoying the moment.”
