And further to my overall chagrin of trying to weigh what I see in the SL: (from ESPN's 5-on-5 re: SL) Wendell Carter Jr., ... showed the kind of NBA-ready skill set that his believers touted before the draft, one that he wasn't able to showcase at Duke in yet another sign that the NBA and college basketball are increasingly two different sports.
The diversion between the two will increase when the most elite go straight from high school to the NBA starting in a couple of years. If Bagley hadn't committed late to Duke, Carter would have gone top 5 for sure. He would have been the star of the team. At the same time, the guy has slimmed down, worked on his jumper and isn't the same player he was in college. Seems like more players are completely dedicating themselves to basketball the minute their college responsibilities end and teams are pleasantly surprised by the results.
Interesting to me is that when college football and college basketball seasons end the players rush into specific training for their bodies as well as their positions. I assume agents are fronting this as 'an investment' in their clients. I wonder why more, at least of those who can pay/or offer back end $ after turning pro (all legit, I'm Shirley sure) don't do this before their eligibilities are completed? I accept I am not the 20:20 visioned guru who can quantify college guys, SL guys whatever since the variances are so many and so wide.
Hey yall, I came from the future and just want to tell you about the absolutely stunning result of the Rox in 2019 NBA playoff which J
Edwards was horrible shooting the ball. He need to be cut or atvtye very least sent to the g league. Adel will probably end up there as well but had the highest shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Yes, he needs to learn defense but the potential is there. Offensively he played within the offense and didn’t jack up stupid shots like many of the other players. He actually didn’t get a lot of looks at he basket since guys like House, Brown, and Hunter almost never looks to pass. It’s not about being assertive. He just rarely had the ball in his hands and was trying to play team basketball by finding players for open shots as opposed to selfishly filling a stat sheet. Just my two cents...
Qi was missed vs. Cavs, he was the difference maker on defense. That shouldn't have surprised me but it did.
Just saw this. Perhaps because after eligibility ends, they don't have to finish the semester at school. Starting in sometime in March, they have all day every day to dedicate themselves. An exception was JJ Redick. He bulked up both his body and game between his junior and senior years at Duke. It was very noticeable.
Interesting stuff, guys. A slight derail, but I think it's related to the topic, at least tangentially. You really think they'll go back to letting high schoolers go straight into the league again? Heck, the colleges may as well start paying their basketball players (besides scholarships, etc.) if they're going to do that, in hopes of getting the best players to put in at least a year in a college program. I think they should pay them anyway. Otherwise, what are they going to do? They have to be able to attract them somehow. Sure, the smart ones may go to college for at least a year, in my opinion, hopefully longer, but a lot of them won't. While I think they'd be wise to go to school and improve their game, as well as getting started on getting a college education (guys in the NBA sometimes return during summers or after their career ends and get their degree, as you know), taking a chance on the draft and possibly getting 7 figure salaries to start is incredibly appealing. It's a role of the dice. A heck of a lot of fellows fall to the second round when they thought they'd go much higher, or don't get drafted at all. Europe and elsewhere is an option, but for kids straight out of high school? Maybe, maybe no. Being able to fall back on an education is valuable, even if it's for just a year at college. That year might very well end up luring them back later, in my opinion. I hope the league doesn't do it. Of course, I'm a bit prejudiced about the topic. My Dad was a department chair at a major university in Houston for 30 years and knew Guy. There's something special about college basketball. I'd like it to remain that way, but times change. Not always for the better, of course.
It's a forgone conclusion the one-and-done requirement will be history soon. Some are hoping there will be a min 2-year commitment if college is chosen. When players were first allowed to skip college, it killed my interest in college basketball and cemented the NBA as the only basketball I cared about. One and done revived my interest in college ball, slightly. Eliminating it would again kill my interest (save for March Madness). The bottom line is youngsters should make the decision for themselves because they owe nothing to the NCAA.
“Yes, but”...there are summers, for example. Good call on JJ. Stuff can get done, surprised (mildly shocked?) more don’t do so.
