One-time Orlando Magic prospect Drake Jeffries finds camaraderie and development his game needed with Sheffield Sharks

As much as it represents the highest professional level in this country, it is a long way from the glitz and glamour of America’s high-profile competition. And as much as teams are making tentative in-roads in European competition, the league has work to do to close the gap on its continental brethren.

Yet on leaving behind the G League in the summer - the rung below the NBA in America - Drake Jeffries has found with Sheffield Sharks the camaraderie he had been missing and the physical challenge his game needed. And this from a 25-year-old shooting guard who two years ago was rubbing shoulders with rising stars Pablo Banchero and Franz Wagner on the Orlando Magic in the NBA.

“In my rookie year I was in camp with the Magic, that was a good time, I got to learn a lot of stuff,” Jeffries told The Yorkshire Post.

“It was a great experience, being around the NBA guys constantly definitely helped my game.

“I was pretty close to getting on a team in my rookie year. I was shooting the ball really well and had a few NBA teams calling my agent. But things change and you’ve got to make the most of your situation.”

He spent his second year as a professional with the Raptors 905, playing again in a G League environment that was starting to constrict his game. “Every guy is there for themselves, trying to get that call-up to the next level,” he said.

“I wouldn’t call it selfish, but it’s definitely more individualised and based on skill development than strictly winning games. I’m much more enjoying the team dynamic here in Sheffield.”

One of seven new signings made by Atiba Lyons in the summer, the move to Britain was a leap into the unknown for him.

“It was definitely a big decision, packing up and moving across the water, it’s not an easy one to make,” he said. “But I was ready for a change and ready for something new so I was excited when my agent told me Sheffield were interested.

“It’s a little bit more physical than the G League. Less space to work with. I think I’m starting to see the game in different ways.

“When I was in the G League I was basically a specialist; catch and shoot, come off screens, but here my role is a little bit different, so it’s been a bit more enjoyable in that sense.

“That was one of the reasons I came here, to develop my game, somewhere I could showcase that I have more to my game.”

Against defending champions London Lions in the Super League Basketball Championship opener at the Copper Box tonight, he will come up against Jaiden Delaire, who he played with in the G League last season. Given where he has played, is Sheffield just a stepping stone to get back to the G League, as it was for Makhi Mitchell who joined Sharks in the summer but returned home when an opportunity back at that level came calling.

“My sole focus is on the Sharks and winning as many games as we can, honestly,” said Jeffries.

“I’m here to impact winning in a positive way and just make sure that we can win as many games as possible.”