March Madness is here, which means that even those who aren’t hardcore college basketball fans will suddenly start talking brackets, upsets and Cinderella runs. For NBA fans, it’s the perfect time to scout out some of the future talent that will soon be coming to the league.
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This year’s tournament is absolutely loaded with talent, thanks especially to a historically good freshman class. Guys like AJ Dybantsa of BYU, Cameron Boozer of Duke and Darryn Peterson of Kansas are projected to be the top picks. UNC’s Caleb Wilson will unfortunately miss the action with a broken thumb, but he’ll also probably be hearing his name in the top five in June’s draft.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg, so even teams that don’t get blessed by the lottery ping pong balls will still have a chance at a stud. Arkansas point guard Darius Acuff Jr., Houston’s Kingston Flemings, Keaton Wagler of Illinois and Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. also have star potential.
The reality of professional basketball is that some of these guys will pop and become stars, while others will have to settle for lesser roles. Some may even become busts, unfair as that term may be. On the most recent episode of No Fouls Given, Paul Pierce put into perspective why that happens.
“I was a high school All-American, and so when I got to college, it was like it starts over. They don’t care,” he said. “Then I was college First Team All-American, then you get to the league and it’s like, they don’t care, you start over again.”
“What you gotta understand is everybody in the NBA was stars before the NBA, I always like to use Pat Beverley for example. Pat Beverly averaged 30-something in high school. Once you start leveling up and leveling up, everybody did that, so this is where you see people try to find their niche,” the former NBA champion pointed out.
Think of how many young people play basketball around the country. In any given high school game, there’s probably someone who stands out as the clear best player on the court. College narrows that down so that now all those guys are Division I and playing for top schools. There are 30 teams in the NBA, so the biggest fish from a small pond may no longer be a big fish.
Everybody in the league is incredibly talented, but not everyone is cut out to be a superstar. That requires being the very best of the best. For everyone else, it comes down to having a strong mentality. Maybe you averaged 30 in high school and even were named an All-American in college. If you’re no longer a dominant player in the NBA, how will you still contribute?
Beverley had a 12-year NBA career because he made himself into an indispensable defensive pest. He made three All-Defensive teams and received Defensive Player of the Year votes in five different seasons. He never averaged more than 10.2 points per game, but he still found his role.
Pierce cited the way Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley were both unstoppable scorers in college. Both were high draft picks, but while Durant went on to become an all-time great, Beasley was considered a disappointment because he never reached that level.
“There’s only really 10 to 15 superstars in a league full of 400 players,” Pierce explained. “So if you’re not a superstar, you have to find your niche, and you have to find it fast, or somebody else is gonna come in your place. I don’t care how talented you are.”
NBA scouts will be watching the Big Dance intently, trying to figure out which players can be superstars, and which ones can contribute even if they don’t make that leap. Who can be a steadying hand at point guard? Who can do the dirty work it takes to win? It’s a subplot to what should be an outstanding tournament, but it will be a really fun one to follow in the coming weeks.
