Getty Image / Thearon W. Henderson
We’re all sports fans here, and when our team drafts someone with a valuable pick, we want to see them play. Even if they’re not ready, we want to find out what we may have.
The best example of this is in the NFL with quarterbacks. No matter how ready a rookie quarterback is, fans want the rookie to start as soon as possible. If A veteran loses a few starts playing ahead of a highly-touted rookie, the calls from the fans and media to play the youngster is relentless.
But, that problem exists in other sports as well, especially in the NBA. Too often, players who have a lot of potential but frankly aren’t good enough to be NBA rotational pieces as youngsters are forced into the rotation.
The problem is, the jobs of coaches and general managers, as well as many others in an organization, are at stake when those players play bad. But, with the pressure that comes with drafting someone highly, it’s hard not to give that player minutes, especially on a team that’s not very good.
Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford sees a problem with this, and sounded off on it before the team’s 97-84 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Steve Clifford during pregame media availability yesterday:
"The NBA is full of all these guys, they play cause we drafted them 6th, 7th, 8th and we don't want to say 'Gee, we might've made a mistake' and by the time they're 23, they're gone… and two more coaches got fired." pic.twitter.com/L0EtEoBNWd
— /r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) February 24, 2024
He’s definitely got a point. I think a lot of fans view top-ten picks in the NFL and NBA similarly, when they’re not at all. Outside of quarterbacks, a top-ten NFL draft pick is almost always ready to play in the league at a passable level. Sure, there will be struggles. But, typically they will belong.
That’s not the case in the NBA. Frankly, a lot of the years, picks at the bottom of the top ten don’t even project to be quality starters. Typically, they are guys with major flaws who are very good in a few key areas. But, fan pressure wins out. No one wants to see their top pick sit while a better veteran player with limited upside gets his minutes.
This results in more losses, and gets people fired. Frankly, more picks should probably spend time in the G-League.