With the NBA Draft fast approaching, the lives of the young
men entering the league will forever be changed. Players such as Andrew
Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Julius Randle will be given large amounts of money to
do whatever they choose with, along with the fish bowl lifestyle and fame that
comes with being an NBA player.
Yet just a few months ago, they were still college kids
living off of fast food and money from their parents. It’s unfair to say these
kids will fall victim to the limelight and stardom of being a professional
athlete, just glance at the careers of Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Tracy McGrady
and Dwight Howard among others. All faired just fine coming out of high school.
However, it’s also unfair to say these young men are mature
and completely ready for the transition into the association.
The average career length in the NBA is a shade under five
years. Say a player enters the league at the age of 19. On average, that player
will exit the game of basketball and his career around the age of 24. Likely,
this player was taught nothing about financial security, what to do post-NBA
career wise and how to correctly grow and mature into a professional athlete in
their short reign at the collegiate ranks. Within five years of retirement, 60%
of former players in the NBA are bankrupt.
To understand how a restriction rule would better the game,
focus not on the hardwood, but the gridiron.
To declare yourself eligible for the NFL Draft, you must
complete three years of college football (you don’t officially have to play for
a college, but the three year rule is still in place). Come time for the
combine and workouts, you see a noticeably more mature pool of players when
compared to the NBA. With this in mind, maturity and character issues are less
seen in football players when matched with basketball counterparts due to a
delay in transition, allowing more time for development physically and
mentally.
Obviously, there is no direct correlation between what age
the player enters a draft and how successful they are. Yet time and time again,
young guns who were once thought to be ready to take on the world are seen
taking an earlier than expected exit from their respective sport.
For example, say a two year rule comes into effect,
requiring all players to complete at least their freshman and sophomore season
of college before declaring themselves eligible for the NBA Draft. How would
both the NCAA and the NBA benefit from this?
For the NCAA, it would create a better brand of basketball. Too
many times the excuse of “I can’t constantly keep up with the new rotation of
players every year” makes an appearance for non-NCAA fans.
Instituting this two
year rule would instigate a somewhat constant scenery, allowing fans to have a
better understanding of who’s on the court, making the collegiate game more
appealing to basketball supporters, and in turn, generating more revenue.
It’s a rarity to see an upperclassman lead his team on a huge
run come tournament time. Unfortunately, the days of senior night appear to be
on its final frontier. The two year delay will allow these young men to polish
their game at a better rate than before, creating better opportunities to
showcase their talents. For the academics first supporters, this rule would
also help players get one step closer to completing their degree, which in
hindsight will help them for life after basketball.
As for the NBA, the association would be receiving a trimmer,
seasoned group of players to select from. Scouting reports for players will be
deeper than ever before, allowing teams to have a better understanding of the
prospect before selecting them. These prospects are more pro-ready and more
viable to lead at a young age, which appears to be a problem in the young draft
classes currently being produced. In turn, the NBA would turn into an overall
more competitive league, which is a win-win for both executives and fans.
While this change may not take place for another year or two
due to NCAA guidelines and NBA player association agreements, the future of the
game can be ensured in better hands by instituting some type of age limit/year
rule for draft eligible players.
Not only will both the NBA and the NCAA benefit from this
change, fans will reap the most benefit of all: A better game of basketball.
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