Why don't big-time NCAA athletes go play in the G-league

[atlsfinest]

The fallout of the latest FBI investigation into NCAA basketball could potentially have huge implications on the future of the sport. Obviously everyone knows that players were getting paid, but this far reaching investigation would bring the whole system down. I understand the apprehension about playing the Lavar Ball's JBA; it's an unestablished upstart and playing in Europe might be unappealing as well. My question is why don't big time players go to the G-League for a year instead of going to college at all?

You'd be in a legit NBA affiliated league. You're playing against near-NBA talent every game so you're getting better and developing as a player. You get paid a salary:

The players spend a majority of the season in the G League and up to 45 days with the NBA franchise. They are guaranteed a $75,000 salary but can make up to $275,000 because pay corresponds to which league they are playing in.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/nba/la-sp-nba-g-league-20171202-story.html

NBA execs are there scouting you at every game so you don't have the potential issues of getting buried on the bench, losing the lime-light in Europe and being forgotten.

I think it'll take one blue-chip athlete to make the leap before it becomes the preferred option for high schoolers.

 

[wavycrocket]

 

[Sonny Corinthos]

If your a one and done In College you can look good against weaker competition for 6 months and get a ESPN following. Also have all the girls on campus kiss your butt without tricking

 

[dman14]

Young boys are going to get exposed by more seasoned ballers who have been in the league or close to it.

Pay in college is probably better and folks are catering to their every need. Gleague is like minor league baseball in that it is a grind. These kids arent trying to ride buses and play in front if small crowds

 

[アミーゴ]

Getting paid much more in college.

 

[don23lucia]

Getting paid much more in college.

This and there pampered for a year, the ones that are lottery locks aren’t worried about 75k for a year when the runners are throwing 100k for just commitments. The money doesn’t stop there either.

 

[User 15002]

Would be a tough transition to go from being a man among boys like many of these high school stars are to playing against grown men who are hungry and are putting in the work.

 

[VARNELL HILL]

Getting paid much more in college.

/thread

 

[ill steelo]

What’s the salary there? Like 25k?

Didn’t that Ayton report say 100k? Plus whatever else they didn’t get on the wire

 

[dman14]

still dont understand why these schools leave paper trail. just drop that bag in straight cash and stop with the wire transfers and checks.

 

[VARNELL HILL]

It's kind of hard not to leave a paper trail. It's not the cartel. The money isn't just laying around in cash in someone's crib. Large sums of money are coming from accounts that will need to be withdrawn.

 

[atlsfinest]

Young boys are going to get exposed by more seasoned ballers who have been in the league or close to it.

Pay in college is probably better and folks are catering to their every need. Gleague is like minor league baseball in that it is a grind. These kids arent trying to ride buses and play in front if small crowds

I would argue that going up against better competition would help in your development and would allow scouts to evaluate you more accurately. All these blue chip players should be used to riding buses and being on the road; that's all the AAU circuit is.

Would be a tough transition to go from being a man among boys like many of these high school stars are to playing against grown men who are hungry and are putting in the work.

Isn't that what the NBA is? Playing against grown men every night. Might as well get started now.

 

[User 15002]

I would argue that going up against better competition would help in your development and would allow scouts to evaluate you more accurately. All these blue chip players should be used to riding buses and being on the road; that's all the AAU circuit is.



Isn't that what the NBA is? Playing against grown men every night. Might as well get started now.

It's a lot easier to justify getting put on skates by Durant or Westbrook than it is some journeyman nobody outside of basketball junkies knows. Bad for your brand.

You are absolutely right that going up against better competition would help in development, but it would also expose a ton of kids and cost them draft spots and lots of money. Many of these dudes ride the hype of abusing lesser competition to a high draft spot, get that rookie contract and not get any better. So the only thing that helps them make more money is a higher draft spot to begin with.

 

[VARNELL HILL]

NBA GMs don't care about "brands" to that exent. An NBA GM wouldn't say..."I'm not going to draft RJ Barrett number 1 anymore because he got crossed over by Trey Burke in a G-League game".

Kids get "exposed" in the NCAA so I'm not buying that argument. Your game is going to get critiqued and picked apart anyway. I don't like this idea of "hiding" from "exposure". If you can play...you're going to make it.

 

[User 15002]

NBA GMs don't care about "brands" to that exent. An NBA GM wouldn't say..."I'm not going to draft RJ Barrett number 1 anymore because he got crossed over by Trey Burke in a G-League game"

My point is some of these guys are not better than the journeymen G-league level player, but if they don't prove that by giving them a shot to show them up it preserves draft stock.

Like last year it could be argued that Harry Giles cost himself draft spots by trying to play and looking bad. Him being more of an unknown might have actually benefited him more.

 

[VARNELL HILL]

My point is some of these guys are not better than the journeymen G-league level player, but if they don't prove that by giving them a shot to show them up it preserves draft stock.

Like last year it could be argued that Harry Giles cost himself draft spots by trying to play and looking bad. Him being more of an unknown might have actually benefited him more.

I think you're a bit misinformed on how NBA personnel evaluates talent. It's called the Developmental league ( or it was) for a reason. GMs wouldn't be expecting kids to come in be superstars and dominate the G-League. It's simply an evaluation tool. Can a kid handle the rigors of the grind on a pro level...does he have it between the ears...can he comprehend NBA offensive and defensive schemes, etc. They're not looking solely at surface level numbers and basing decisions on that.

Harry Giles was WASHED before he left High School. There is NO way an NBA franchise was going to spend a lottery pick on a kid who had 2 acl tears before graduating...while sitting out an additional year. That would be 3 consecutive years of basically not playing basketball. He didn't cost himself anything. In fact...he's blessed a team even spent a first round pick on him as a rehabilitation project.

 

[kicks2024]

Going to school:
Money
Women
Freedom
Women
Whatever they want just ask
Playing on national tv, building up hype

 

[Retroballer]

I thought about this for kids that don’t qualify. Why go to some random euro league?
I guess that keeps the mystery up and if you get exposed int the GLeague, it could hurt your draft slot

 

[VARNELL HILL]

Because you get paid more overseas...and they comp your housing & transportation so your stacking even more dough.

Again...D-League salaries are poor.