Appearing on The ETCs podcast, Kevin Durant supported LaMelo Ball and his decision to go pro before finishing high school.
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Ball is probably the rookie with the most hype around him going into the regular season. Both James Wiseman and Anthony Edwards are more of projects at the moment. Ball seems to have a knack for racking up highlights. At the very least, he’s a good transition player.
There are lots of areas for improvement in the youngster’s game. But playing professionally has probably helped him at a certain level – understanding how to play a reduced role is important for nearly every NBA rookie.
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At the heart of making any sort of improvement in a sport like basketball is getting the reps in. Playing professionally has allowed Ball to be placed in game situations closer to NBA speed than he would have faced in NCAA basketball.
Kevin Durant speaks about how going pro early may have benefited LaMelo Ball
Durant supported LaMelo Ball’s decision to turn pro, while also stressing how he would have raised the profile of college ball had he opted for that route:
“It’s just a decision if I want to make some money or not. At that point, you’re going to be the best player in every team you play on and you’re just waiting for a year to get to the league.”
“So I think either route is cool. LaMelo would have been great for the whole country, playing at college for a year. Obviously, that would have made him a lot of money that would have bought them a lot of views and eyes on the game.”
“But going overseas, going pro, and learning the game early is definitely more beneficial. Coming a bit more mature than some of your peers. I think that helps as well,” he explained.
