Destination NBA: A G League Odyssey review: A lovely myriad of journeys

Destination NBA: A G League Odyssey is a documentary film that looks at the developmental league of the NBA and the players within who are trying to make it to the big time. The film is streaming on Prime Video.

Story

Scoot Henderson is a highly talented youngster who decided to play in the G league rather than go the college route to the NBA. He has many admirers and a support system that believes he has what it takes.

Gabe York is a journeyman who has played all over the world in domestic leagues but only had a brief fling with the NBA. He still holds onto the dream of playing there professionally and proving to himself that he’s capable.

Denzel Valentine played for the Chicago Bulls for many years before a drop off in his game led to him being released and now he plays in the G league in the hopes of getting back to the NBA.

Mason Jones has had a couple of good years in the G league going from strength to strength and is waiting for his opportunity to showcase that on the biggest stage. Ryan Turrell is a role model for Orthodox Jews everywhere and aspires to be the very first Orthodox Jew to play in the NBA proper.

All these athletes have different journeys but their ultimate goal is the same and they will do everything in their power to get there.

Positives

The film has picked out a collection of athletes to cover and provide the audience with the different paths to the NBA and what some of these athletes go through.

The sound design for the film is great. Capturing the audio during games, and applying the appropriate score during other moments are what contribute to adding some emotion to the stories.

Negatives

Coming in at just under 2 hours, the documentary isn’t always engaging and the audience might be found scrolling on their phone while this plays in the background. They might have been better off turning it into smaller episodes for a series instead.

Verdict

Destination NBA: A G League Odyssey is a well-meaning documentary that shines a light on a league that doesn’t get enough love and showcases athletes that attempt to prove that they have the talent to get picked up by the NBA. It’s a casual film that might interest sports enthusiasts but doesn’t necessarily have widespread appeal.

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