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Hoops Habit Staff Debate: The NBA’s age limit is ridiculous

By Luke Duffy

Boston Celtics Kevin Garnett (L) is defended by Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant (R) during Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals in Los Angeles, California, June 12, 2008. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)
Boston Celtics Kevin Garnett (L) is defended by Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant (R) during Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals in Los Angeles, California, June 12, 2008. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Dyson Daniels (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images) /

3. It helps the G-League

You might think that allowing players to go from high school straight to the NBA would hurt the G-League. After all, it has done a great job in the last few years of rebranding itself and becoming a genuine alternative path for youngsters to get to the league.

Two first-round picks in this year’s draft (Dyson Daniels, 8th pick, and Marjon Beauchamp, 24th pick) played for the G-League Ignite last year. The Ignite is a team that the NBA itself oversees, and offers young players the chance to get paid a sizeable sum of money and see what it is like to be a professional before trying to get drafted. This has worked well and will continue to be an alternative for some.

But if the NBA lets high school players straight into the league, it will actually strengthen the G-League. Already, the level of talent in the NBA is as high as it has ever been, and there simply are not enough roster spots for all of the fantastic professionals that exist.

The G-League is no longer seen as a wasteland where players have to go to fight for their careers either. So, by marrying the two, organizations could take chances on younger players and stash them in the G-League for a season. The introduction of two-way contracts means players are coming and going between both leagues at a rapid rate.

This would increase the level of competition on each main NBA roster and, by extension, strengthen the level of play in the G-League as well. If your team drafts a high lottery pick and they go straight to the G-League, would you go and check them out for $20 if they were playing nearby? Interest in these young players, and the feeder league below the NBA proper, would improve.