Way too early NBA draft thread 2021

[Rose2Boozer]

Current mocks seem to indicate that several players I'd like the Bulls to draft will be likely be available when they pick in the 2nd round. Most intriguing to me are Tre Mann from Florida and Isaiah Todd from the G-League. Mann fits a need for sure, and his game was really improving toward the end of the college season. And with Todd I think he can play SF with his long wirey build and at 6-10 with a jump shot he'd be able to create a lot of mismatches offensively. New Orleans has 4 Second Round picks. Unless they plan to stash 2 or 3 of them they might be interested in dealing one or two. Maybe even for "cash considerations". I'd like the Bulls to get Mann and Todd and add Ariel Hukporti as a two year Euro stash. He's nowhere near ready for the NBA, but he just turned 19. He's got the size and the athletic tools to be be an interior force in the league in 3 or 4 years.

Tre Mann is one of the guys who I think is gonna be a big time riser on mocks come draft time. He is the kind of guy who would kill a workout.

I think Tre Mann goes first round, he could go as high as late lottery.

Isaiah Todd is a prospect who shouldn't be available in the second round, but it's likely. I love Todd as an NBA power forward prospect. He's already a pro shot maker, and already heavier than his listed 210lbs.

Watch on YouTube

[Leslie Forman]

From a lifestyle perspective 19 and 20 year olds aren’t even legally old enough to drink. If you end Amateurism and let these kids sign endorsement deals and market their name college provides the best venue for them develop, make money, and transition to be an adult. Colleges have more resources and can easily develop a curriculum of personal finance, managing financial wealth, and other lifestyle skills that are important to young adults that are about to get a financial windfall.

This sounds like a cool place. Can you guide me to where this actually happens is? Because it sure doesn't seem to be anywhere based in our reality.

So why is there even an age limit? Why not just let high school juniors or even younger jump to a professional league? It’s been reported that Emoni Bates would have gone number one in each of the last 2 NBA drafts had he been eligible.

[Am2626]

From a lifestyle perspective 19 and 20 year olds aren’t even legally old enough to drink. If you end Amateurism and let these kids sign endorsement deals and market their name college provides the best venue for them develop, make money, and transition to be an adult. Colleges have more resources and can easily develop a curriculum of personal finance, managing financial wealth, and other lifestyle skills that are important to young adults that are about to get a financial windfall.

This sounds like a cool place. Can you guide me to where this actually happens is? Because it sure doesn't seem to be anywhere based in our reality.

So why is there even an age limit? Why not just let high school juniors or even younger jump to a professional league? It’s been reported that Emoni Bates would have gone number one in each of the last 2 NBA drafts had he been eligible.

What are you talking about? Every college offers classes on Personal Finance, Wealth Management, etc.

Read this article. Creating a course load like this would be extremely easy to do.

https://thebestschools.org/magazine/15-subjects-mandatory-arent/

[Leslie Forman]

What are you talking about? Every college offers classes on Personal Finance, Wealth Management, etc.

Read this article. Creating a course load like this would be extremely easy to do.

https://thebestschools.org/magazine/15-subjects-mandatory-arent/

LOL what is this online school ad clickbait garbage?

They will have the ability to literally just pay actual, professional accountants and advisors who have done a lot more than take some Money 101 course, just like every single other well paid human being on the planet that pays them for their services. Once they are in the league their agent, the Players Union, experienced long-time vets, etc. are gonna be a million times more helpful than some garbage college courses the players would just sleep through.

And it just always seems to be them dang young black basketball players that just absolutely NEED to go to college. Funny how nobody seems to give a crap when it's baseball, hockey, soccer, tennis, music, acting, cooking, HVAC…

[Am2626]

What are you talking about? Every college offers classes on Personal Finance, Wealth Management, etc.

Read this article. Creating a course load like this would be extremely easy to do.

https://thebestschools.org/magazine/15-subjects-mandatory-arent/

LOL what is this online school ad clickbait garbage?

They will have the ability to literally just pay actual, professional accountants and advisors who have done a lot more than take some Money 101 course, just like every single other well paid human being on the planet that pays them for their services. Once they are in the league their agent, the Players Union, experienced long-time vets, etc. are gonna be a million times more helpful than some garbage college courses the players would just sleep through.

And it just always seems to be them dang young black basketball players that just absolutely NEED to go to college. Funny how nobody seems to give a crap when it's baseball, hockey, soccer, tennis, music, acting, cooking, HVAC…

Yeah tell that to Antoine Walker and all the other naive and uneducated athletes that got ripped off.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2016/07/08/nba-star-antoine-walker-reveals-what-he-learned-from-losing-100-million.html

https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/1593378-25-athletes-who-got-totally-ripped-off.amp.html

[Leslie Forman]

Yeah tell that to Antoine Walker and all the other naive and uneducated athletes that got ripped off.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2016/07/08/nba-star-antoine-walker-reveals-what-he-learned-from-losing-100-million.html

https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/1593378-25-athletes-who-got-totally-ripped-off.amp.html

You mean a guy who went to college for two years?

You're just proving your own argument to be complete bunk.

[Am2626]

Yeah tell that to Antoine Walker and all the other naive and uneducated athletes that got ripped off.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2016/07/08/nba-star-antoine-walker-reveals-what-he-learned-from-losing-100-million.html

https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/1593378-25-athletes-who-got-totally-ripped-off.amp.html

You mean a guy who went to college for two years?

You're just proving your own argument to be complete bunk.

This wasn’t in reference to going to college versus not going to college. It’s in reference to your comment about NBA Players that should just put their entire trust with Hired Financial Advisors that can manage their wealth and not have any involvement in their own finances. This isn’t an all or nothing thing. You make it sound like every elite athlete is a 1 dimensional person that can only play basketball and should be a professional right out of high school. I’m saying that most athletes are not fully mature mentally or physically at 18 and that college is the best place for athletes to develop. If you end Amateurism then you don’t have to create all of these outside if the box avenues like the G League.

[Jvaughn]

I think Tre Mann goes first round, he could go as high as late lottery.

Isaiah Todd is a prospect who shouldn't be available in the second round, but it's likely. I love Todd as an NBA power forward prospect. He's already a pro shot maker, and already heavier than his listed 210lbs.

Watch on YouTube

I know this wasn't the point of the video, but can someone explain to me how Dashien Nix is an NBA prospect, and how he was chosen for the Ignite program?

[Am2626]

I think Tre Mann goes first round, he could go as high as late lottery.

Isaiah Todd is a prospect who shouldn't be available in the second round, but it's likely. I love Todd as an NBA power forward prospect. He's already a pro shot maker, and already heavier than his listed 210lbs.

Watch on YouTube

I know this wasn't the point of the video, but can someone explain to me how Dashien Nix is an NBA prospect, and how he was chosen for the Ignite program?

He was a last minute add. He actually was signed by UCLA but ended up designing to join the G League. The G League couldn’t get their original targets (Cade and Suggs) so they went after the next PG in that class who was already signed with another team. The UCLA coach said that they scared him into thinking that there wouldn’t be a college basketball season. This goes to show the shadiness of the G League and how they will go after any prospect they can get using any means necessary. The top prospects are the first choice but the G League will look at lower level prospects if they can’t get their first choice. For Nix, he could have been part of a final 4 team this year. That exposure probably makes him a first round pick. He probably won’t even get drafted this year and don’t see how the G League is going to help his basketball future. He may not even make it to the NBA now. Was 200k worth it for him at the expense of being a professional G leaguer?

[Almost Retired]

Current mocks seem to indicate that several players I'd like the Bulls to draft will be likely be available when they pick in the 2nd round. Most intriguing to me are Tre Mann from Florida and Isaiah Todd from the G-League. Mann fits a need for sure, and his game was really improving toward the end of the college season. And with Todd I think he can play SF with his long wirey build and at 6-10 with a jump shot he'd be able to create a lot of mismatches offensively. New Orleans has 4 Second Round picks. Unless they plan to stash 2 or 3 of them they might be interested in dealing one or two. Maybe even for "cash considerations". I'd like the Bulls to get Mann and Todd and add Ariel Hukporti as a two year Euro stash. He's nowhere near ready for the NBA, but he just turned 19. He's got the size and the athletic tools to be be an interior force in the league in 3 or 4 years.

Tre Mann is one of the guys who I think is gonna be a big time riser on mocks come draft time. He is the kind of guy who would kill a workout.

I think Tre Mann goes first round, he could go as high as late lottery.

Isaiah Todd is a prospect who shouldn't be available in the second round, but it's likely. I love Todd as an NBA power forward prospect. He's already a pro shot maker, and already heavier than his listed 210lbs.

Watch on YouTube

Yes, ultimately I see Todd as a PF as well. But early on, maybe the first 2 years, I think he can play SF too. He's quick and fluid enough. And he'd be a mismatch for many SFs to guard with that 6-10" height, 7-0" wingspan and 8-1" standing reach. He gets good height on his jump shot, is perfecting some nice spin moves to a fadaway, and can use both hands down low. Very much a 3 level scorer. Once he fills out in a couple years, say to about 240-ish (about the same size as Horace Grant was) he'd probably be a PF exclusively. I see great potential with Todd. He's got a scorers mentality. He doesn't give up on plays, especially down low. He can get blocked, or stripped or just mishandle the ball down low but he'll immediately poke the ball or steal it back and go up and score. I see pretty good coordination. He's got the talent. If he has the will to work, especially at the defensive end, he could be a very solid PF in a few years. And I think he'd push Patrick to play a little more aggressively if he wants to keep his minutes. Patrick taking 6 or 7 shots in 28-30 minutes isn't cutting it offensively. I know rookies tend to defer to vets but with Patrick is seems to me that he defers too much. If he doesn't come out next year with a more complete game I'm not sure about his long term usefulness.

[AshyLarrysDiaper]

Yeah tell that to Antoine Walker and all the other naive and uneducated athletes that got ripped off.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2016/07/08/nba-star-antoine-walker-reveals-what-he-learned-from-losing-100-million.html

https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/1593378-25-athletes-who-got-totally-ripped-off.amp.html

You mean a guy who went to college for two years?

You're just proving your own argument to be complete bunk.

This wasn’t in reference to going to college versus not going to college. It’s in reference to your comment about NBA Players that should just put their entire trust with Hired Financial Advisors that can manage their wealth and not have any involvement in their own finances. This isn’t an all or nothing thing. You make it sound like every elite athlete is a 1 dimensional person that can only play basketball and should be a professional right out of high school. I’m saying that most athletes are not fully mature mentally or physically at 18 and that college is the best place for athletes to develop. If you end Amateurism then you don’t have to create all of these outside if the box avenues like the G League.

Football players spend three years in college and go broke often enough.

There’s no good argument for young athletes forgoing millions in salary so they can take “wealth management” classes that they could audit for a couple thousand bucks.

[Am2626]

You mean a guy who went to college for two years?

You're just proving your own argument to be complete bunk.

This wasn’t in reference to going to college versus not going to college. It’s in reference to your comment about NBA Players that should just put their entire trust with Hired Financial Advisors that can manage their wealth and not have any involvement in their own finances. This isn’t an all or nothing thing. You make it sound like every elite athlete is a 1 dimensional person that can only play basketball and should be a professional right out of high school. I’m saying that most athletes are not fully mature mentally or physically at 18 and that college is the best place for athletes to develop. If you end Amateurism then you don’t have to create all of these outside if the box avenues like the G League.

Football players spend three years in college and go broke often enough.

There’s no good argument for young athletes forgoing millions in salary so they can take “wealth management” classes that they could audit for a couple thousand bucks.

Once again this isn’t about going to college will prevent you from getting ripped off because you took Wealth Management Classes. This is about what is the right age for high level basketball prospects being professional athletes. Is that age 18, 20, 21? Should there not even be an age limit? Should a 15 year old LeBron James be allowed to play in the NBA because his potential would have some GM still pick him number 1?

Whether people think that at 18 years old people are considered adults society still says that they cannot drink alcohol legally or gamble legally. If they are mature enough to be an adult shouldn’t they be allowed to do those things?

My take on this is most 18 year old high school athletes would benefit from spending a few years playing college basketball. It provides more structure. Let them make money off their name and sign endorsement deals. It definitely is better for the NBA because you won’t see guys water down the league that are not ready and it gives GM’s more time to evaluate someone rather than going off of hype.

[AshyLarrysDiaper]

This wasn’t in reference to going to college versus not going to college. It’s in reference to your comment about NBA Players that should just put their entire trust with Hired Financial Advisors that can manage their wealth and not have any involvement in their own finances. This isn’t an all or nothing thing. You make it sound like every elite athlete is a 1 dimensional person that can only play basketball and should be a professional right out of high school. I’m saying that most athletes are not fully mature mentally or physically at 18 and that college is the best place for athletes to develop. If you end Amateurism then you don’t have to create all of these outside if the box avenues like the G League.

Football players spend three years in college and go broke often enough.

There’s no good argument for young athletes forgoing millions in salary so they can take “wealth management” classes that they could audit for a couple thousand bucks.

Once again this isn’t about going to college will prevent you from getting ripped off because you took Wealth Management Classes. This is about what is the right age for high level basketball prospects being professional athletes. Is that age 18, 20, 21? Should there not even be an age limit? Should a 15 year old LeBron James be allowed to play in the NBA because his potential would have some GM still pick him number 1?

Whether people think that at 18 years old people are considered adults society still says that they cannot drink alcohol legally or gamble legally. If they are mature enough to be an adult shouldn’t they be allowed to do those things?

My take on this is most 18 year old high school athletes would benefit from spending a few years playing college basketball. It provides more structure. Let them make money off their name and sign endorsement deals. It definitely is better for the NBA because you won’t see guys water down the league that are not ready and it gives GM’s more time to evaluate someone rather than going off of hype.

Is there any evidence that young players languish because they turn pro early?

Look beyond basketball. Lots of soccer and tennis players turn pro at 15.

If someone can prove that young pros have worse life outcomes, I’d love to see it. Because otherwise it feels like projecting your own values onto strangers.

[Leslie Forman]

If someone can prove that young pros have worse life outcomes, I’d love to see it. Because otherwise it feels like projecting your own values onto strangers.

LeBron is just never going to truly be a complete human being without that Sociology 101 course.

[DuckIII]

Luka Doncic has been a pro since he was about 7 and he seems to be doing okay.

It’s not that AM has no point. It’s not a stretch to say that any young person could benefit from some schooling and life experiences before being thrust into a professional atmosphere and showered with wealth.

But we aren’t or at least should not be dealing in ideals. This is America. If you are capable of earning a career, and aren’t violating child labor laws in the attempt, you should be free to do so. It’s not more complicated than that.

We don’t have these paternalistic restrictions in most professions, including many professional athletics.

[Am2626]

Football players spend three years in college and go broke often enough.

There’s no good argument for young athletes forgoing millions in salary so they can take “wealth management” classes that they could audit for a couple thousand bucks.

Once again this isn’t about going to college will prevent you from getting ripped off because you took Wealth Management Classes. This is about what is the right age for high level basketball prospects being professional athletes. Is that age 18, 20, 21? Should there not even be an age limit? Should a 15 year old LeBron James be allowed to play in the NBA because his potential would have some GM still pick him number 1?

Whether people think that at 18 years old people are considered adults society still says that they cannot drink alcohol legally or gamble legally. If they are mature enough to be an adult shouldn’t they be allowed to do those things?

My take on this is most 18 year old high school athletes would benefit from spending a few years playing college basketball. It provides more structure. Let them make money off their name and sign endorsement deals. It definitely is better for the NBA because you won’t see guys water down the league that are not ready and it gives GM’s more time to evaluate someone rather than going off of hype.

Is there any evidence that young players languish because they turn pro early?

Look beyond basketball. Lots of soccer and tennis players turn pro at 15.

If someone can prove that young pros have worse life outcomes, I’d love to see it. Because otherwise it feels like projecting your own values onto strangers.

Yeah pretty much every prep to pro bust. People only think of the LeBron, Kobe, and Garnett’s of the world. What about Robert Swift, Korleone Young, Martel Webster, Leon Smith, Sebastian Telfair? All of these guys should have gone to college. I guarantee you they all regret their decisions now. Then you look at a guy like JR Smith. Maybe instead of being a 6th man of a year guy maybe he ends up being a perennial All Star if he develops his game at North Carolina. Kwame Brown is another example. That’s a lot of wasted potential.

It’s a fact that since the one and done rule was implemented there have been fewer busts. Even one year of college has helped guys like Rose, Zion, Trae Young, etc. Guys like Tatum and Durant have even come out and said how valuable their time in college was to them. You add another year of college and the success rates are probably even better. The key is to end Amateurism and give them the best of both worlds.

Out of all the high school to pro guys there was one guy that was truly NBA ready out of high school. That guy was LeBron. Even Garnett and Kobe needed time to develop. These guys aren’t coming in based on their ability. They are getting drafted on hype and future potential. Raw athletes aren’t good for the quality of the NBA game.

We’ll see what the G League will end up being but there is a reason why most elite prospects are still going to college versus the G League. Jalen Green went from the 2nd best prospect to 4 and guys that went to college are going to get drafted ahead of him. We’ll see if their NBA careers turn out better as well.

[Senor Chang]

Don't look now but we are back at the trusty #7 spot in the lottery rankings. I don't see us moving up any higher. Just have to hold the fort and hope Toronto or Sacramento don't out-tank us from here on out.

[AshyLarrysDiaper]

Once again this isn’t about going to college will prevent you from getting ripped off because you took Wealth Management Classes. This is about what is the right age for high level basketball prospects being professional athletes. Is that age 18, 20, 21? Should there not even be an age limit? Should a 15 year old LeBron James be allowed to play in the NBA because his potential would have some GM still pick him number 1?

Whether people think that at 18 years old people are considered adults society still says that they cannot drink alcohol legally or gamble legally. If they are mature enough to be an adult shouldn’t they be allowed to do those things?

My take on this is most 18 year old high school athletes would benefit from spending a few years playing college basketball. It provides more structure. Let them make money off their name and sign endorsement deals. It definitely is better for the NBA because you won’t see guys water down the league that are not ready and it gives GM’s more time to evaluate someone rather than going off of hype.

Is there any evidence that young players languish because they turn pro early?

Look beyond basketball. Lots of soccer and tennis players turn pro at 15.

If someone can prove that young pros have worse life outcomes, I’d love to see it. Because otherwise it feels like projecting your own values onto strangers.

Yeah pretty much every prep to pro bust. People only think of the LeBron, Kobe, and Garnett’s of the world. What about Robert Swift, Korleone Young, Martel Webster, Leon Smith, Sebastian Telfair? All of these guys should have gone to college. I guarantee you they all regret their decisions now. Then you look at a guy like JR Smith. Maybe instead of being a 6th man of a year guy maybe he ends up being a perennial All Star if he develops his game at North Carolina. Kwame Brown is another example. That’s a lot of wasted potential.

It’s a fact that since the one and done rule was implemented there have been fewer busts. Even one year of college has helped guys like Rose, Zion, Trae Young, etc. Guys like Tatum and Durant have even come out and said how valuable their time in college was to them. You add another year of college and the success rates are probably even better. The key is to end Amateurism and give them the best of both worlds.

Out of all the high school to pro guys there was one guy that was truly NBA ready out of high school. That guy was LeBron. Even Garnett and Kobe needed time to develop. These guys aren’t coming in based on their ability. They are getting drafted on hype and future potential. Raw athletes aren’t good for the quality of the NBA game.

We’ll see what the G League will end up being but there is a reason why most elite prospects are still going to college versus the G League. Jalen Green went from the 2nd best prospect to 4 and guys that went to college are going to get drafted ahead of him. We’ll see if their NBA careers turn out better as well.

This is all anecdotal. You could easily rattle off a list of 3 and 4 year players that washed out of the league. What’s the reason they failed? Too much college?

I think it’s safe to say college helps some guys and hurts others but since it’s virtually impossible to know who’s who, you leave it to the players to decide whether they want an unpaid internship before they join the league.

[Am2626]

Is there any evidence that young players languish because they turn pro early?

Look beyond basketball. Lots of soccer and tennis players turn pro at 15.

If someone can prove that young pros have worse life outcomes, I’d love to see it. Because otherwise it feels like projecting your own values onto strangers.

Yeah pretty much every prep to pro bust. People only think of the LeBron, Kobe, and Garnett’s of the world. What about Robert Swift, Korleone Young, Martel Webster, Leon Smith, Sebastian Telfair? All of these guys should have gone to college. I guarantee you they all regret their decisions now. Then you look at a guy like JR Smith. Maybe instead of being a 6th man of a year guy maybe he ends up being a perennial All Star if he develops his game at North Carolina. Kwame Brown is another example. That’s a lot of wasted potential.

It’s a fact that since the one and done rule was implemented there have been fewer busts. Even one year of college has helped guys like Rose, Zion, Trae Young, etc. Guys like Tatum and Durant have even come out and said how valuable their time in college was to them. You add another year of college and the success rates are probably even better. The key is to end Amateurism and give them the best of both worlds.

Out of all the high school to pro guys there was one guy that was truly NBA ready out of high school. That guy was LeBron. Even Garnett and Kobe needed time to develop. These guys aren’t coming in based on their ability. They are getting drafted on hype and future potential. Raw athletes aren’t good for the quality of the NBA game.

We’ll see what the G League will end up being but there is a reason why most elite prospects are still going to college versus the G League. Jalen Green went from the 2nd best prospect to 4 and guys that went to college are going to get drafted ahead of him. We’ll see if their NBA careers turn out better as well.

This is all anecdotal. You could easily rattle off a list of 3 and 4 year players that washed out of the league. What’s the reason they failed? Too much college?

I think it’s safe to say college helps some guys and hurts others but since it’s virtually impossible to know who’s who, you leave it to the players to decide whether they want an unpaid internship before they join the league.

Did you hear what I said. End Amateurism. Elite prospects can make millions of dollars off their name. Let them sign shoe deals, get money off college jersey sales, video games that feature them, etc. That’s all good exposure for them as they get ready to be professional athletes. What college does is it weeds out the hype and exposes the flaws in prospects. It separates the guys that are the real deal. People shouldn’t make millions of dollars on hype and potential. They should make it on their ability.

The NBA is a private organization. They are under no obligation to lower their age limits. They have every right to do what they feel is best for their game. Drafting projects and spending millions of dollars to develop them and in many situations watch them blossom on another team isn’t in the team that drafted them best interest.

[AshyLarrysDiaper]

Yeah pretty much every prep to pro bust. People only think of the LeBron, Kobe, and Garnett’s of the world. What about Robert Swift, Korleone Young, Martel Webster, Leon Smith, Sebastian Telfair? All of these guys should have gone to college. I guarantee you they all regret their decisions now. Then you look at a guy like JR Smith. Maybe instead of being a 6th man of a year guy maybe he ends up being a perennial All Star if he develops his game at North Carolina. Kwame Brown is another example. That’s a lot of wasted potential.

It’s a fact that since the one and done rule was implemented there have been fewer busts. Even one year of college has helped guys like Rose, Zion, Trae Young, etc. Guys like Tatum and Durant have even come out and said how valuable their time in college was to them. You add another year of college and the success rates are probably even better. The key is to end Amateurism and give them the best of both worlds.

Out of all the high school to pro guys there was one guy that was truly NBA ready out of high school. That guy was LeBron. Even Garnett and Kobe needed time to develop. These guys aren’t coming in based on their ability. They are getting drafted on hype and future potential. Raw athletes aren’t good for the quality of the NBA game.

We’ll see what the G League will end up being but there is a reason why most elite prospects are still going to college versus the G League. Jalen Green went from the 2nd best prospect to 4 and guys that went to college are going to get drafted ahead of him. We’ll see if their NBA careers turn out better as well.

This is all anecdotal. You could easily rattle off a list of 3 and 4 year players that washed out of the league. What’s the reason they failed? Too much college?

I think it’s safe to say college helps some guys and hurts others but since it’s virtually impossible to know who’s who, you leave it to the players to decide whether they want an unpaid internship before they join the league.

Did you hear what I said. End Amateurism. Elite prospects can make millions of dollars off their name. Let them sign shoe deals, get money off college jersey sales, video games that feature them, etc. That’s all good exposure for them as they get ready to be professional athletes. What college does is it weeds out the hype and exposes the flaws in prospects. It separates the guys that are the real deal. People shouldn’t make millions of dollars on hype and potential. They should make it on their ability.

The NBA is a private organization. They are under no obligation to lower their age limits. They have every right to do what they feel is best for their game. Drafting projects and spending millions of dollars to develop them and in many situations watch them blossom on another team isn’t in the team that drafted them best interest.

You’ve migrated from making the case that kids need college to learn life skills and “mature” to saying the NBA needs college to weed out the busts. That’s two different arguments. Can’t conflate them.

Fact is, there isn’t much (if any) evidence that college works out in the average player’s longterm interest, so let’s set that one aside. If there’s some analysis I’ve overlooked, feel free to share it.

As to whether the league needs college as an evaluation tool, I suspect NBA front offices would eventually get better at leveraging high school samples in their scouting. There’d be growing pains for sure. Less data is less data. But most of the world’s professional leagues do just fine without funneling 18 year olds into college for evaluation purposes. In fact, it seems most have decided that they sooner a prospect enters the professional ranks, the easier it is to see and shape their trajectory.

As for allowing kids to use their likeness, it’s a half measure. Just a peace offering from college power brokers hoping to delay the inevitable.