After watching the Bucks preseason opener, I couldn’t help but be amazed by rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo.
At only 18 years of age, the Greek native tallied 14 points, three blocks and four rebounds in his first ever NBA game. He showed promising signs of confidence that is rare in rookie players.
This display shifted my curiosity back to the recent debate about whether or not players should be able to go directly from high school to the NBA. If Giannis, a player that is not only just 18 years old, but also completely new to the United States can make the transition, why can’t others do the same?
For those of you that aren’t familiar with the rule, as of 2006, players must be one year removed from high school before entering the draft. Some choose to play overseas for a year, while most accept a scholarship to play in college. The belief is that this in-between year will allow the players to mature, both mentally and physically, so they will be more prepared to succeed at the NBA level.
For the sake of the players and of college basketball this rule has to be undone.
While the intentions of the rule change are good, there is too much controversy over it.
Players that clearly have enough talent to go straight to the NBA are being denied the opportunity to make money and provide for their families. Who has the power to determine if someone is “ready” enough to enter a particular profession? At age 18, we can be expected to legally support ourselves and even go to war, but can’t handle the responsibility of playing the game of basketball?
On top of this, I question how much good is really coming from this rule. I look around the league at players that have had the most disciplinary issues, and all of them have college experience.
Just take a look at technical fouls, perhaps the best measure of on-court maturity. In the 2012-2013 season the top five leaders in technical fouls last year (DeMarcus Cousins, Russell Westbrook, Larry Sanders, Blake Griffin and Carmelo Anthony) all attended and played college basketball. Despite the “gap” year or even years that these players had to apparently mature, they still have the most mental lapses.
On the other hand, some of the best players of all time have come directly from high school to the NBA. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard, some of the NBA’s most elite players came directly from high school.
Anyone who has followed LeBron James over the course of his career can attest to the growth of his character. He has become a leader and role model not because of college, but because of his experiences in the NBA. His teammates, coaches and real life involvements forced him to grow up.
LeBron James, Amar’e Stoudemire, Jermaine O’Neal and Monta Ellis are just a few all-star players that came to the NBA from high school, and are also hosts to active charities.
This “gap” year also provides an opportunity for injury. Last season, top recruit and freshman Nerlens Noel played only a small portion of the season before going down with a torn ACL. Who knows what effect this could have on his career. There’s a good chance Noel could have avoided such an injury had he been allowed to enter the NBA out of high school.
If not for the sake of the players, change the rule for the sake of college basketball. Year in and year out, we see a pattern of “single-season” players, as I like to call them. These are the players that reluctantly accept a scholarship to a top of the line program (like Kentucky); where they excite the sports world for a mere year, then move onto the NBA to cash their checks. Players barely leave their mark on the NCAA before they depart. This is killing college basketball.
Rather than creating memorable rivalries, teams are spending every year trying to rebuild or fill a void left behind by a departed single-season player. Die-hard fans have to kiss their beloved players goodbye every year, as they head off to the Bobcats bench to be forgotten.
Now, if players could go directly to the NBA, it could weed out players whose only goal is to make it to the big show as quickly as they can. Players dedicated to the success of their collegiate teams can use their four years to grow together as a team and pursue a championship.
Above all, let the past speak for itself. Many of the greatest players to ever play the game never played a day in college. Let’s go back to the way things use to be.
