The NBA (National Basketball Association) draft happens once a year. Some of the best players from around the world join, hoping to fulfil their dream of becoming stars in the big league. This year’s draft will take part Thursday, June 26.
Adam Silver, the NBA’s new commissioner, will participate in his first draft. He has recently made what many say to be his first “big” decision as commissioner. He banned Donald Sterling, the Los Angeles Clippers owner, from the NBA for life because Sterling had been recorded saying racist remarks. Silver will complete his first NBA draft this year, calling the name of each player that is selected by a team.
The draft has requirements in order to enter. First, the player must be 19 years of age or older. Secondly, a player must be removed from high school basketball eligibility for at least a year. This means you can not enter the draft straight from high school. This rule was put in place as of 2006. Brandon Jennings, a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, went to play basketball in Europe right after high school instead of college, in order to receive the one year “out of high school” credit. After his season in Europe was over, he declared for the NBA Draft.
The NBA Draft receives entries from players all over the world. The 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2013 draft all made headlines for having a foreign player drafted first. Yao Ming, drafted in 2002 by the Houston Rockets, caught a lot of attention for his height and skill.
Players who declare for the draft and have not played the total four years in college, are considered “early-entrants.” This year, there are 75 early entrants. The catch for these players is that once they declare for the draft and their NBA eligibility, they have lost their college eligibility. Only 60 players are picked, so that means there is a guarantee that 15 players will not be chosen and will not be able to go back to their college to play. This year, notable freshman that have declared as early-entrants are Jabari Parker from Duke, Andrew Wiggins from Kansas, and Julius Randle from Kentucky.
“There is a lot of talent in this draft, and it will be an interesting one for sure. I believe Jabari Parker will be the number one draft pick because he is the most ready in my mind,” said Brad Barfield, junior.
Every draft in any sport has the one pick that is considered a “bust.” This past year in the NBA draft, the public has said Anthony Bennett, former number one pick for the Cleveland Cavaliers, was the bust of the draft. He only played 52 games out of 82, averaging 12.8 minutes per game. In those minutes, he averaged only 4.2 points, 3 rebounds and 0.3 assists, compared to the previous year’s number one pick, Anthony Davis, who averaged 13.5 points per game, 8.2 rebounds and 1 assist.
Number one picks are held to a high standard from the public, fans and the team. The 14 teams who did not make the playoffs are placed in the lottery, so the worst team does not always receive the first pick. The lottery is weighted so the team with the worst record of the previous year has the best chance to win the first overall pick. The worst team this year was the Milwaukee Bucks, so they have the best chance to receive the honors of the number one pick.
No one can predict who will get the number one pick so it is hard to decide which player will be chosen first. Based on team needs, they will pick a certain player who fits the position the team wants.
This year’s draft class will consist of many freshmen and sophomores. Many people do not believe that makes them NBA ready because they are physically young, but they will have to wait and see if they excel.
