clyde21 wrote:tournament performances are almost irrelevant tbh to overall prospect status, like you just said, Mobley and Barnes were bad by their standards in the tourney last yr, it didn't matter.
a team of Zion, Tre Jones, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish lost in the S16. Deandre Ayton was a 1AD in the tourney and was terrible. guys like Ben Simmons and Antman didn't even make the tournament.
great tournament performances for top prospects barely exist anymore. who were the last ones? Justise Winslow and Anthony Davis?
Don't agree with you here on the NCAA tournament not having significance. Mobley's shot changing ability was extremely evident all tournament long. It was game changing and the reason they destroyed Iowa.
Obviously, the whole of the season is important, but with these freshman guards, the NCAA tournament is most important in gauging their development curve. It isn't a matter of the shooter missing shots and suddenly now he's a bad shooter. It is a look into the progression of the freshman and how ready he is to make that leap.
Jaden Ivey made the jump last year. The knock on Ben Simmons coming in was LSU's team performance and the fact that they were never able to get over the hump - valid or not.
Of course, a major point about this is how the freshman is utilized within their college system. If it is a point guard running the show and his team completely collapses due to inept play, it is more significant than a big (who is guard dependent) having a quiet performance.
Kennedy Chandler was ok against Michigan. The rest of his team did not step up. So context is also important, but the NCAA tournament is the most significant gauge of a freshman prospect (esp guards) with the exception of the combine.
For me, the NCAA tournament is one of the biggest mental gauges moreso than the actual performance. How does a player (and team) respond with his back against the wall? Is he an alpha? Does he have stones like Ben Mathurin?
