[Yahoo Sports mock top-5](https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-nba-mock-draft-2-victor-wembanyama-scoot-henderson-atop-loaded-draft-class-after-las-vegas-showcase-160336864.html)
1. Victor Wembanyama (Metropolitans 92)
2. Scoot Henderson (G League Ignite)
3. Amon Thompson (Overtime Elite)
4. Nick Smith Jr. (Arkansas)
5. Ausar Thompson (Overtime Elite)
In 2003, LeBron James and Darko Milicic went 1 and 2, but the following 3 players played college ball.
As you can see above, only one of the projected top-5 is slated to play college basketball.
With the looming return of “prep-to-pro” draft eligibility and the rise of non-collegiate alternatives like G-League Ignite/Overtime Elite/International professional basketball leagues, how major of a shift should we expect from the “one-and-done” path that has dominated the draft landscape in the 21st Century?
Edit: I was wrong. 2001 had 4 non-collegiate players go top-4:
1. Kwame Brown
2. Tyson Chandler
3. Pau Gasol
4. Eddy Curry
Thanks, u/Funny-Homework
by lopea182
11 Comments
Maybe, but am I missing something with Amen? Really good athleticism and pretty good passing don’t make up for the complete travesty of a shot and the mediocre defense imo. I don’t think he has any business getting Top 3 talks right now.
What the fuck is a overtime elite
College athletes don’t spend that much time studying but each hour in class is an hour that could be spent on basketball. If someone is focused on playing in the NBA I can see why many players will choose an environment where they can be 100% committed to basketball
This is pretty interesting but I’m betting on Nick smith
People are severely overrating the Thompsons
Ausar isn’t going top 5
Dariq Whitehead or Cam Whitmore should be there instead
What happened to Whitehead? Did he reclassify or has he fallen off.
i’m very curious about the OTE guys; i’m not hip enough to their model to know how much they’re actually being prepared for NBA-level competition.
Uhhh 2001 nba draft first 4: kwame brown (hs), Tyson chandler (hs), pau gasol (Spain), eddy curry (hs). All non college, ironically one of the worst draft classes ever.
I ah don’t trust overtime elite like at all.. like who are they playing against? Who coach them?
Thompson is gonna fall from 3 bc OTE is a joke