I find it hard to believe that there is this little talent in the NBA/college basketball

[Ohene]

I just took a look at the 2014 NBA Draft...and outside of:

Andrew Wiggins
Zach Lavine
Elfrid Payton
Rodney Hood
Jabari Parker
Julius Randle
TJ Warren
and
Aaron Gordon (i'm digging deep here)

there is literally nobody of note. NOBODY. That is 8/60 players in a league with 30 teams...a league featuring teams with 20 game losing streaks. How can it be so hard for some of these rookies / young players to stand out? Has the AAU circuit really ruined prospects' abilities to adapt to pro basketball? Has the one and done-ness of college basketball ruined the drive of coaches to develop these athletes while they're in school? Are NBA coaches just that reluctant to play young players?

What made me dig into this was looking at Mitch McGary's stats last year. In limited time he was very productive but for whatever reason he was in the D-League to start this year. What is OKC doing? I'm just confused that's all. What are yall's opinions? I think it's the coaches just keeping their leashes on young players too tight.

I picked 2004 as a random year...and in that draft Devin harris, Andre Igoudala, Emeka Okafor, Dwight Howard, Ben Gordon, Josh Childress, Luol deng (7 players in the top 10 alone) all had immediate impacts on their teams. Beyond that, players like Josh Smith, Delonte West, Kevin Martin, Al Jefferson and Jameer Nelson made contributions as rookies or sophomores. These current college players dont even look great right now out of a select few either. I might be speaking too early but shyt looks BLEAK.

 

[Yogi]

College basketball has fallen off dramatically. It's very hard to watch now. If a player has elite talent he will be gone after one year. Also, the best athletes are in the South and a lot of them choose to play football.

 

[Ohene]

College basketball has fallen off dramatically. It's very hard to watch now. If a player has elite talent he will be gone after one year. Also, the best athletes are in the South and a lot of them choose to play football.

but how could it (in terms of talent) have fallen off so bad? Unless the judgment of highschool prospects has been made more lenient...there is no shortage of hyped up players heading to college. Are the potential athletes choosing football instead or some shyt?

It's just mind boggling that the incoming NBA talent has been so bad the last few years.

Not saying everyone has to be a star, but even there is even a lack of players with career role player potential. I'm probably speaking too soon

 

[Higher Tech]

What games do yall be watching?

 

[AAKing23]

Jordan Clarkson? Solid player
Jerami Grant? Top 10 in the NBA in blocks


Saric and Embiid debut next year



A lot of those guys are really young and could shine if they received the oppurtunity

 

[PortCityProphet]

They not skilled just athletic

 

[FaTaL]

college basketball doesnt prepare players for the nba, i mean they spend 80% of the clock just passing the ball to pass the ball with no intent to score

i mean i hate watching that bullsh!t

they lessened the shot clock this year its just bad basketball

 

[sportscribe]

They not skilled just athletic

Pretty much this. A lot of these players dominate high school and get by on their athleticism without necessarily developing a fundamentally sound game. They come to pros and suddenly are surrounded by equally athletic people. What separates the elite players from the rest is skill.

That's why it's laughable when people bring up the point of this 2010 generation of the NBA being better than the 90s players because they are "more athletic". Then you look at skilled teams like Golden State that dominate the league without an emphasis on athletic play, just ball movement and good shooting.

 

[HHR]

It's just you.

 

[Malta]

I just took a look at the 2014 NBA Draft...and outside of:

Andrew Wiggins
Zach Lavine
Elfrid Payton
Rodney Hood
Jabari Parker
Julius Randle
TJ Warren
and
Aaron Gordon (i'm digging deep here)

there is literally nobody of note. NOBODY. That is 8/60 players in a league with 30 teams...a league featuring teams with 20 game losing streaks. How can it be so hard for some of these rookies / young players to stand out? Has the AAU circuit really ruined prospects' abilities to adapt to pro basketball? Has the one and done-ness of college basketball ruined the drive of coaches to develop these athletes while they're in school? Are NBA coaches just that reluctant to play young players?

What made me dig into this was looking at Mitch McGary's stats last year. In limited time he was very productive but for whatever reason he was in the D-League to start this year. What is OKC doing? I'm just confused that's all. What are yall's opinions? I think it's the coaches just keeping their leashes on young players too tight.

I picked 2004 as a random year...and in that draft Devin harris, Andre Igoudala, Emeka Okafor, Dwight Howard, Ben Gordon, Josh Childress, Luol deng (7 players in the top 10 alone) all had immediate impacts on their teams. Beyond that, players like Josh Smith, Delonte West, Kevin Martin, Al Jefferson and Jameer Nelson made contributions as rookies or sophomores. These current college players dont even look great right now out of a select few either. I might be speaking too early but shyt looks BLEAK.

You left out -

Nurkic
McDermott
Harris
Hood
Jokic
Grant
Clarkson
Capella
Smart


A lot of the other guys went to teams with guys in front of them, like McGary, Ennis, Anderson etc so we wont know what they can do for a while.

 

[Buckeye Fever]

30 seconds of hearing sneakers squeak across the floor and shots clanging off some loose ass rims

 

[Malta]

but how could it (in terms of talent) have fallen off so bad? Unless the judgment of highschool prospects has been made more lenient...there is no shortage of hyped up players heading to college. Are the potential athletes choosing football instead or some shyt?

It's just mind boggling that the incoming NBA talent has been so bad the last few years.

Not saying everyone has to be a star, but even there is even a lack of players with career role player potential. I'm probably speaking too soon

The player with the highest ceiling hasn't been able to play a game, the draft would look a lot different if Embiid were out there playing.


And you missed a good deal of guys that are contributing like Jokic, Hood, Clarkson, Capella and Harris.

 

[CantStop]

Don't list first team all rookie Jordan Clarkson who is averaging 15 ppg this season brehs

 

[42 Monks]

I really don't agree with this. I think the overall level of college play over the years has DRASTICALLY improved everywhere - meaning its just harder for guys to stand out and even harder for scouts to make the right call. You got mid-majors holding talent and regular scaring the fukk out of the big programs. The rules (35 second shotclock, gimmick defense) still suck, but if you were to take the nostalgia glasses off and look at schools not regularly worth checking for... you'd find heaps an heaps of garbage compared to now.

I just think the talent in the NCAA is starting to level out and almost diminish its own product because coaches are trying to beat essentially the same two-three types of teams night in and night out. Overseas, a younger player shining means that he's going against grown men. Olympians, former pros, pros who wanted more minutes, hungry as fukk journeymen, etc while having to learn how to actually play real ball outside of Evan Turnering the shotclock for 30 seconds.

Basically... the transition for your typical NCAA guy to the pros is morphing into what the transition for the overseas guys used to be. Because the NCAA is a shyt farm system when it comes to basketball.

 

[DIMES]

I think it's because the scouts really fukk on a lot shyt

When u look at Isaiah Thomas that breh was drafted 60th overall for no reason

Almost didn't even make it and now is clearly top 3 pg drafted in the last 5 years

And we got guys who chopped in college but for some reason they don't get a chance

Y'all remember Sherron Collins ? That boy was nice and got damn 3 mins a game for lees than 1 season on the bobcats.