Jarnell Stokes who helped the Sioux Falls Skyforce win the NBADL title will get his next NBA shot with the Denver Nuggets.

The big man from Tennessee now joins a gang of eleven former Skyforce players on various training camp rosters including five who spent time on the title winning team. Stokes will have his work cut out for him as Denver has to make some roster cuts before the regular season begins.

As it stands the former Memphis Grizzly and Miami Heat is trying to bust through recent history for D-League MVP to stick in the Association. However there are some success stories that Stokes can try to follow.

2015 MVP Tim Frazier is currently trying to solidify his place with New Orleans. He was with the Maine Red Claws before his call up to Portland during his award-winning season. Frazier is the only other former MVP that is currently pursuing a hot lead in the NBA.

Otherwise you have to go back over a decade to find two other players who parlayed their D-League MVP to a lengthy NBA career. Devin Brown won the award in 2003 and was an NBA title winner with the San Antonio Spurs in 2005 among his 8 NBA seasons. Meanwhile 2005 winner Matt Carroll logged over 450 games in the NBA with most of them after mowing down D-League opponents.

The bottom line for Stokes would be putting in the work and impressing the right people to keep the NBA dream alive. Training camps open in late September and the preseason schedule through most of October will be part of the next chapter for the reigning NBADL MVP.

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