Patrick Csiszar |
Why should experienced college players be targeted more in the NBA Draft?
The NBA Draft is always filled with the inevitable hype for teams looking to find a new cornerstone of their franchise. Whether it’s one-and-done freshmen coming out of college, players from G-League Ignite, or exciting and new overseas prospects, draft analysts and fans alike focus and hype up only a select few prospects. Most of these prospects are projected to do so well because of their potential and build, while actual college production plays a relatively small factor in scouting. Recently, the consequences of valuing potential over college experience have become evident for many teams. James Wiseman is a prime example of how valuing potential overproduction can go wrong. James Wiseman picked second overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, is already on his second team and is barely playing on the worst team in the league, the Pistons. Wiseman was seen as an athletic big man who was perfect for the modern NBA. Even though Wiseman only played a few games in college, his potential and athleticism led the Warriors to select him with the second pick. In that same draft class, there was a point guard out of Iowa State who had two years of solid college production named Tyrese Haliburton. The main issue against Haliburton was his unorthodox shooting form, even though he was more than efficient in college. Haliburton ended up being taken towards the end of the lottery by the Kings with the twelfth pick in the draft. Haliburton had a good rookie year playing alongside star point guard De’Aaron Fox making the All-Rookie Team in 2021. He was traded to the Pacers two years ago and since then, Haliburton has progressed into one of the best point guards in the league and is currently leading the league in assists. Even though his shot was seen as a concern coming into the league, he is shooting a career 41% from three.
Wiseman and Haliburton are just some examples of how experienced and productive college players should be valued more in the draft. Along with knowing and having experience in playing a role, veteran college players can develop under coaches and expand their game while preparing for the NBA. Also, experienced college players contribute right away easier than most one-and-done prospects. Most recent examples of these are Christian Braun and Jaime Jaquez Jr. College veterans in the draft offer stability in that teams know what they’re getting instead of projecting what a one-and-done and unproven prospect can do.
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