Recent news of the NBA affiliate G League’s “professional path” may offer the loophole high school prospects have been looking for more than a decade.
Finally, another option for “one-and-done” players who think they can hang with the big boys in the NBA after just one high-speed NCAA season.
On Thursday, the NBA G League disrupted the NBA world by announcing that, starting with the 2019-20 season, high school players would be eligible for a five-month, $125,000 contract to play with an NBA-affiliated G League squad.
While the name in itself, the “professional path,” sounds like a great option for these youngsters to create a well-managed future for themselves as pro-athletes, the ripple effect of this announcement far supersedes the individual impact on players.
Sure, players will be able to earn money without the risk of being injured while playing their one college season, ultimately earning nothing for their uncanny skills.
Being a part of a G-League system means playing with a higher level of competition, even if it is the oft-scoffed at developmental league that doesn’t quite hold a candle to, say, the highly respected MLB’s farm system.
In addition, the professional path will provide players with diverse education programs (not to mention NBA Summer League experience before they would normally even be drafted).
On the other hand, these players will also lose the opportunity to capitalize on the highly-publicized (like, 13.15 million views for a Final Four game on a bad year) NCAA March Madness. This is the type of exposure that some players owe their entire careers to.
Yet still, the big picture ripple effect regarding this decision is far more significant than any individual player experience.
And no, I’m not talking about what will likely be the death of the unabashed, youth-exploiting, LaVar Ball-managed JBA (Junior Basketball Association).
LaVar Ball’s basketball league unofficially died today when the NBA announced that the G League would be willing to sign players — who are 18 but not yet an NBA eligible 19 — to a 5-month, $125,000 contract.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) October 18, 2018
The ultimate significance that comes from this decision is the lack of consistency from commissioner Adam Silver, who made very clear back in 2017 that if anything, the teenagers in the league were woefully unprepared to handle the physical and emotional challenges brought on by an NBA season.
At that time, Silver made the astute point that it’s frustrating for college teams to be punished year after year by attracting top high school talents, only to lose them to the NBA the next season.
On top of that, he pointed out that these teenagers are hardly ready to make a real impact in the league.
And it’s true. Sure, there are the rare exceptions like, for instance, Karl-Anthony Towns, who entered the league from the Kentucky Wildcats NBA-factory at age 19 and ended up averaging 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds in his rookie season.
But even Towns had a bevy of NBA-guidance, including that of his faux-uncle Darryl Dawkins.
But ultimately, this decision contradicts the sound, sober wisdom of Adam Silver from just a year ago. The scary potential outcome is a gutted NCAA pool of talent, as well as a lot of young players making other cash-grabs overseas, which could really hurt the NBA’s future youth movements.
Only time will tell, but until then, take some solace in the fact that Thursday was a big loss for LaVar Ball.