The 2014 NBA draft was believed by many to be what would turn into the deepest draft in league history. While I do still believe that statement to have truth to it, thus far this has been a less than memorable season for the bulk of youngsters that entered this highly anticipated season. Many of them just a couple years removed from high school, I can’t say I’m surprised many rookies have had their freshman woes hit hard. This begs the question: are college freshmen, especially big men, really ready to hit the big leagues after just one year of college ball?
Most draftees enter the league having been the undisputed faces of their high school and college squads. However, such success rarely translates immediately at the NBA level. The NBA is truly a league of men, and many prospects enter it as scrawny boys with raw talent. The jump from college competition to professional competition is astronomical, especially for young men that have only spent a year in a college stadium.
Many argue that it’s easier to mold players into an NBA caliber fashion if they come in as unpolished freshman– they feel the players are like giant blobs of clay they can mold in whichever fashion they please. However, especially for young big men, more years in school means more years in the weight room. Just about every young big man, regardless of how much talent he has, is going to have a miserable time in his first few years of NBA ball if he hasn’t bulked up considerably.
This lack of bulk is also a concern for injuries. It’s not a coincidence that guys like Greg Oden and Julius Randle could barely step on an NBA court before falling to injuries. They both spent only one year playing ball at the collegiate level– only a year of training at the college level, which is unfathomably more vigorous than that of a high school training program. This makes the wear and tear of banging with the league’s strongest big men in the post more than most eighteen or nineteen year old NBA bodies can take.
The last truly low post presence I can think of spent three years in college. His name? Shaquille O’Neal.
Sharon Swanson • Feb 14, 2015 at 7:49 PM
The story in the Skokie Review didn’t begin to do Mr. Wack justice. Good for the NWN –kudos to them for taking their time to write a story that is accurate, well-thought out, and the kind of tribute Mr. Wack deserves
Alum • Feb 13, 2015 at 10:10 PM
You appear to be the editor of niles west news. You guys should be able to post stories about things before the skokie review does. Why didn’t you have an article about paul wack when you had the chance? Why didn’t you have an article about the fact the school buses never showed up on the day that was supposed to be a late start? You guys keep missing key news, and instead just keep posting profile stories about freshmen.
NWN Editors • Feb 14, 2015 at 1:11 PM
Thank you for your concerns. We truly appreciate you reading even though you’ve graduated. Regarding Mr. Wack: We are working on a tribute story. We are taking our time with it to talk to his colleagues. An alumna is writing a guest piece. It will run next week as a tribute. Please be aware that emotions are high among his colleagues and that people need time to process his death before they are ready to talk to student reporters. As far as the Skokie Review is concerned, they rushed that story and we didn’t want to do that. We wanted to honor him in a more complete way. We have also been working on a school bus story; it is just taking longer to report than we planned. Please remember we are student reporters, trying our best. Our staff is almost all brand new this year as well and we are all learning. Thank you for your feedback.