Stanford’s very own Jeremy Green declared for the NBA Draft yesterday. You remember him, right? He was Stanford’s leading scorer this past season, at one point scoring over 20 points in five straight games, all against conference opponents. He’s second in school history in three-pointers made and holds the single-season record for made triples.
Seems reasonable for him to test the waters, right? Well, it certainly seems reasonable when you take into account his current suspension from school, which came only a year and a half after an unrelated suspension from the team.
Still, I don’t know him and I can’t tell you why he really decided to declare for the draft. What I can do, though, is look at his chances at the next level. And while I’m no draft expert, I have to say I’m skeptical at best regarding Green’s transition to the pros.
For one thing, school records and suspensions aside, Green’s college career has left many things to be desired, among them being team play and shot selection. He has the worst assist-to-turnover ratio among Stanford players with reasonable playing time, and he attempted over seven three-pointers for every assist over his Cardinal career. He wasn’t top three on the team in steals, rebounds, assists or blocks, and the team did just as well when he scored in the single digits (3-2) as when he broke 20 points (7-6).
Now, this is not meant to be an attack on Jeremy Green. He was clearly Stanford’s go-to player this year, and he has been good for the Stanford program. It’s more about what’s good for Green and all the other underclassmen looking toward the NBA Draft.
Ever since I was little, I’ve been against early entry into drafts. Maybe it’s because I’ve always liked college sports better than pro sports and I wanted to keep the talent in college, or maybe it’s because my parents’ brainwashing in favor of an education over quick money was actually as successful as their brainwashing to love Stanford and hate USC. Nevertheless, my stance in general has not changed—I still wish players would stay in college, and I think far too many players leave early.
Still, for many people it’s hard to complain. A guy like Cam Newton, whose character doesn’t exactly suggest an emphasis on education, achieved everything a college player can at his third college, Auburn, so it had to be expected that he would leave. He did, and last night became the top overall pick, a spot that certainly would have gone to Stanford’s own, Andrew Luck, had Luck possessed similar priorities. But Luck, as the sports media still cannot come to grips with, is different from your average superstar athlete.
Other than guys like Luck, though, the majority of athletes that have a shot at the pros tries to go to the pros as quickly as possible. It’s understandable that the allure of fame and fortune and the top level of sport would drive many athletes to declare early, but allowing them to do so can often be a killer blow to their future potential. D-League rosters are packed with guys who think they are going to reach the bright lights of Madison Square Garden in June and end up seeing Iowa, Tulsa and sometimes the Russian tundra.
It’s really sad to see, but every year you watch dozens of guys get told by some scout that they have pro potential, so they risk their futures to try to make the NBA now. Plenty of them don’t get drafted, but even getting drafted doesn’t guarantee much. Less than half of the second-round picks from the last three drafts are still in the league, and first-round busts aren’t that uncommon either. Even in a light draft year like this one, there is only so much room in the pros for young guns, so most will get shut out.
In the end, though, what can anybody do? Who is going to go around telling guys that they aren’t good enough for their dreams to come true? And what guys are going to listen? If everyone had proper guidance on his realistic chances of making it, things would probably be a lot different, but proper guidance is as rare as elite athleticism. The NCAA just made a small step yesterday by moving up the deadline for players to drop out of the draft, but it’s unlikely that this measure will significantly change things for future underclassmen.
It’s tough as a fan watching college sports and knowing most of the top players are only using their time as a sham to fulfill the age requirement. It’s tough as a human being watching players throw their future potential away to try to make the big bucks now.
Jacob Jaffe just offended the entire city of Tulsa. Tell him about your favorite spots in Oklahoma’s paradise at jwjaffe “at” stanford.edu.