Based on the advice given in this article to better NBA prospects, Kuzma made a mistake.
Whoops. http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...-return-school
Based on the advice given in this article to better NBA prospects, Kuzma made a mistake.
Whoops. http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...-return-school
Last edited by SeattleUte; 05-14-2017 at 01:56 PM.
One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.
--Albert Einstein
The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.
--Richard Dawkins
Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
--Philo
We had this back and forth here on the boards last year in regards to Poeltl. I will start by saying that yes, in a perfect world, the overwhelming majority of these guys go back to school and iron out their weaknesses and the NBA has more polished players coming in every year. Unfortunately, that is not how things have worked for most of this century. With many guys trying to maximize their earnings, they are opting to leave early, develop in the NBA and be a year or two closer to those second and third contracts (where the real money is). Rational or not, the fear of getting injured playing college ball is another factor.Originally Posted by SeattleUte
I did not read all of the evaluations in that article. I started with Mika because I think his decision will be very interesting to watch. The unnamed NBA exec who spoke on him mentioned wanting to see him go back to school and 'extend his range'. Fair assesment (he went 0-1 on threes this year). Now that is one executive on one team. More analytics-driven execs are going to see that he hit 76% on his free throws, shooting nearly 9 a game and that was up from 62% as a freshman back in 2013-2014. Free throw % (and its trend over time) are great indicators of 'stretch 4' potential. Its there. No one who truly has Mika's best interests at heart is going to advise to go back to school to 'extend his range' when the potential is clearly there, and its uncertain just how much Dave Rose (whose seat is getting ever so slightly warm) would be willing to experiment with such an attempt. In the D-league, that could be worked on with no consequences while learning a team's system for a salary in the high five figures or even 6 figures.
Quick look at Kuzma..........what else can he prove at the college level that would cause his draft stock to really rise? He could lead a team to a big tournament run. The measurables (which are ok, nothing great, nothing bad) won't change. He could 'extend his range', his basketball IQ could rise, etc.
I know I am rambling here, but to me, he has reached a level where the D-league wouldn't bury him and he can develop just fine there and be closer to that second contract, if he is so fortunate. Would have loved to have him back because I think there is more Larry can teach him, but after his performance at the combine, as laughably small of a sample size as it is, I believe he made the right call and his potential to move up with another year at Utah may not outweight another birthday.
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