As we relayed back at the end of March, McDonald’s All-American Darius Bazley, projected to be a 2019 NBA lottery selection, will forgo his college eligibility and sign a G League contract when’s he eligible to do so this fall.
It’s been nearly 10 years since a player has entered the G League straight out of high school. In 2009, Latavious Williams entered the D-League at just 18 years of age, but as Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days writes, there were just 16 teams back then, of which a small few were even owned by NBA teams.
Next season, the G League is set to tip-off with a record 27 teams, most of which are owned and affiliated with an NBA franchise. Moreover, the league has been trending towards a youth movement for quite some time, with most G League teams filling their roster with undrafted rookies.
Given this infusion of youth, Johnson writes that Bazley’s decision is a watershed moment for the G League, opining that Bazley’s performance next season will determine whether or not other players choose to make a similar leap in future seasons.
Do you agree with Johnson? Do you believe that a successful stint in the G League by Bazley may encourage more high school stars to forgo college and enter the G League or will Bazley’s decision be an outlier regardless of how he handles next season? Could a poor performance hurt the G League’s reputation for developing players moving forward?
Please take to the comments section and let us know what you think.
Will he still be a part of the draft?
Or will he be property of the NBA team that controls the G-League team?
He’d still be part of the draft…Glen Rice Jr. and one of Greek Freak’s brothers got drafted out of the G League if I’m not mistaken
A successful stint by Bazley would be the worst thing for many HS players. I am huge proponent of making players go to college. I make no secret of that. But I am willing to admit that there are some that could make the leap from HS to the pros. This is not about the Kobes or the LeBrons of the world. The problem is with the ones that cannot. The problem is with the Latavious Williamses or Korleone Youngs or Ndubi Ebis of the world.
A successful stint by Bazley will convince some players that have absolutely no business in the G League to forgo college. Everyone acts like colleges treat these kids like chattel when they really give inner city kids a $120,000 four year education for free should they choose to accept it. College is not a punishment for players, it is an opportunity to get better and to develop a back up plan should athletics not work out.
What is missing from the story is that Latavious Williams never played a single minute in the NBA. He has had a relatively successful overseas career, but he could have had that after 4 years of college too. He is now just a journeyman that doesn’t even know what country he is going to play in next season, let alone what team.
You make some really good points, although this still happens with a lot of one and dones that aren’t ready either. The Daniel Ortons of the world will be a problem too, so it’s really just a matter of some guys thinking they’re better than they really are — which probably won’t be fixed no matter what the rule is.
Yeah, Daniel Orton just got bad advice. I am a huge UK fan and I remember being floored when he announced he was staying in the draft. And being equally floored when he became a 1st round pick.
I honestly think the NBA should institute the same rule as the NFL. No one can become a pro until 3 years after HS. The male body does not even stop growing until the age of 20. The 18 year old body is not ready to compete with grown men in ANY sport. Baseball and hockey have many tiers of minor leagues, so even when HS players do become pros they still compete against players relatively the same age as college players. Basketball does not have this yet. Either they need to expand their minor leagues to MLB standards or switch to the NFL rule. This in between thing is killing both them and college hoops.
Yes exactly. See Jermaine Oneal. Drafted by Portland out of high school he was not effective until he arrived in Indiana four or five years later.
You make great points. I would add that the G league is a little tougher than the college game so if a guy out of high school struggles a little bit he’s done.
As a college freshman they’ll play weaker opponents much of the time and perhaps look better on tape or whatever. I think it’s a huge mistake unless you are a LeBron or one of those stars coming out of high school with major Talent, skill, and maturity.