It's all about appealing to the high schoolers.
- Nobody wants to do the traveling that they do in the GLeague. It's basically all the bad parts about traveling as a pro and none of the good. Living in LA for a year >>> living out of hotels in Canton, Grand Rapids, Sioux Falls, etc.
- I think part of the reason that Bazley ultimately bailed on the program is because he/his agent realized that he wasn't physically ready to play against 25-30 year olds yet and needed the year to continue developing his body to prepare for that jump in competition. Going from high school to college is already a big jump; going from high school to the pros is something that pretty much only super special prospects are capable of.
I think this new concept will appeal to prospects far more than simply playing in the GLeague did. Not to mention just putting them all on one "team" will make it a lot easier for them to show them off than having one exciting prospect on a handful of teams.