With the NBA G League heading to Mississauga, Ontario for the 2018 NBA G League Showcase, hosted by Raptors 905, it’s time to take a look back at the season up until now, along with a 101 on what to know about the league and the annual scouting event.

January is primetime.

The NBA G League’s marquee event, NBA G League Showcase, is set to take place from Wednesday until Saturday, bringing all 26 teams together to play in front of player personnel executives from all 30 NBA franchises. The event coincides with the date (January 5) when NBA teams can begin signing players to 10-day contracts.

The majority of players in the NBA G League are free agents who can be signed by any NBA team — click here to learn more about how rosters are built) — so a flurry of deals typically occur during and after Showcase each year. More than 50 players have been called during or immediately after the past 13 NBA G League Showcases.

Games begin at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga on Wednesday at 12 PM ET with Warriors vs. Drive, and conclude on Saturday with a 5 PM ET tip between the Bighorns vs. 87ers. Check out the full schedule here.

A host of up-and-coming NBA players have put their skills on display at Showcase over the past 13 years, especially since NBA teams often assign young talent to the NBA G League during this time.

Past participants include: Heat center Hassan Whiteside, Clippers guard Patrick Beverley, Rockets center Clint Capela and guard/forward Gerald Green, Jazz center Rudy Gobert, Nets guard Jeremy Lin, 76ers forward/center Amir Johnson and Mavericks guards Seth Curry and JJ Barea.

Two-way players add a new twist to Showcase.

With the NBA G League’s new two-way contracts, there will be a slew of talent playing with their NBA G League teams this week. Two-way deals are new this year. Each NBA team is allowed up to two players that can be moved up and down between the NBA team and the NBA G League club. The player is only allowed up to 45 days with the NBA team, however, while staying under a two-way deal.

From Warriors’ guard Quinn Cook to Bulls’ dynamic scorer Antonio Blakeney, there will be a lot of NBA-ready talent on display at Showcase throughout the week. Check out this week’s two-way tracker to catch up on the two-way players to watch for during Showcase.

More teams, more action.

The NBA G League has expanded by at least one team in each of the past five seasons. The league has added nine teams over the past two years alone — including the biggest jump of four new franchises heading into the 2017-18 season.

The Wisconsin Herd (Milwaukee Bucks), Agua Caliente Clippers (L.A. Clippers), Erie BayHawks (Atlanta Hawks) and Lakeland Magic (Orlando Magic) all debuted as new franchises this season.

Momentum continues to gain each season for that ideal 30-for-30 direction in which each NBA team would have its own affiliate, and the NBA G League would become a true farm system for the Association. The Washington Wizards announced on Dec. 1, 2017 that they will debut their own NBA G League affiliate starting in 2018-19, the Capital City Go-Go.

2017-18 season off to a blazing start.

We’re just two-and-a-half months into the season, and the NBA G League is off to a rapid start. Between two-way players, NBA assignees and the rest of the league’s prospects, there have been several great storylines already.