admin wrote:Didn't want to start a new NBA thread.
UConn's Tyrese Martin was the only Big East player drafted last night, 51st to Atlanta. I think most prognosticators were mildly surprised that Justin Lewis was not selected.
Eh, it was always a possibility (and, frankly, more realistic than many MU fans would have predicted). Even if you are given a second round grade, there still remains a strong possibility that you end up going undrafted due to the number of teams that A) seek to draft a foreign player to stash away for multiple seasons B) the number of teams not seeking to utilize a second pick to take up a roster spot and spend precious cap space on and C) second round graded players are, for the most part, mostly interchangeable dependent on need. When Liddell began to fall out of the first, I knew Justin was in trouble; after Liddell, only four forwards were drafted. More teams were just seeking guards. I would argue that Justin, with the Bulls, is in a much better opportunity with that coaching staff (Donovan) and player development than, say, with Charlotte (who has no coaching staff and doesn't exactly have a reputation of developing players. Some organizations are clearly better than others in this regard.
To me, what is most alarming, is that the Big East - for the second time in three seasons - did not have a first round player drafted. For a variety of reasons, Big East programs are simply not recruiting or attracting lottery-level NBA talent anymore. It remains the Dukes, UNCs, Kentuckys, Kansases and Arizonas. Even without the lottery talent, the Big East doesn't have the first round talent anymore. That should be highlighted as a long-term area of growth and improvement for the league moving forward.
Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2022 7:35 am