[ClutchFans] How a potential return of high schoolers to the NBA Draft impacts the Rockets

The race to acquire talent... but how does it help the Rockets, or even the league, to invest millions in unproven 18 year olds?

Look how well Green, Sengun played. Even a Josh Christopher. Jabari Smith is about as guaranteed as you can draft. The appreciation for acquiring this many very good teenagers in 13 months basically can't be overstated. That's not even including a Porter, Martin or hell Nix. Washington looks good too geez. And they won't be good-good until they're 22-23 like literally everyone else that's ever played in the NBA. Still 2-3 seasons and that's still another 2-3 seasons until their prime...

Look at how incredibly poorly a significant portions of the Rocket's faithful took to Garuba developing for a year at RGV. As if Capela didn't take the same route? As if he STILL isn't 6 months away from purchasing his own Bud Lites? Are we going to continue crucifying these overgrown children for not being immediate impact contributors? You can bet your farm on it, if Tyty Washington gets playing time and doesn't receive a Hall of Fame vote post-game some simple mother****er will be in here calling him "titty", like those aren't amazing.

How does a whole batch of Shaedon Sharpe's make this league better? Kobe, Lebron and KG were anomalies. Hitting in the draft is hard enough. Stone done absolutely did it and you know what? He still has to keep a bunch of rich, insanely talented, young egos together for like 6 more years before it's going to bring trophies.

And we aren't trading Eric Gordon damnit. Say it with me squad: "Consummate professional, I hope he retires a Rocket."

 

Worth the read

 

NBA is the opposite of the MLB... are we sure we don't want our players at 26 instead?

 

Agreed.

These days most of these guys' stock doesnt fluctuate too much by playing one year after highschool before going to the NBA anyways.

 

I don't think question is whether high schoolers make the league better. The question is whether the rule requiring one year of college or professional basketball makes the league better. I never agreed with it in the first place. 41 players were drafted straight out of high school in history, only 16 of them were drafted in the lottery. The track record is really good. Four of them won MVP, 15 made all-NBA, and although Rashard Lewis never made all-NBA he did make an all star game. That is a much more impressive record than draftees as a whole.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_high_school_draftees

And it's not like there was a downward trend towards the end. If anything, it was improving. Each of the last five years of drafts that included high schoolers had at least one all star appearance (Tyson Chandler, Amare, Lebron, Dwight, Andrew Bynum). And there were several others with successful careers (Shaun Livingston, Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, JR Smith, Gerald Green, CJ Miles, Monta Ellis, Lou Will). If that's your batch of Shaedon Sharpes, who might be a great player for all we know, how is that a bad thing? Would the league have been better forcing all of those players to go to college?

 

YES.

This is the greatest basketball league in the world, a collection of the most unique athletes probably ever. This is not a development league. They are moving the requirement the wrong way, it should be bumped to 2 years.