NBA Draft

Rethinking Some 2015 NBA Draft Decisions

Reinhold Matay/USA TODAY Sports

If you set aside the money, cars, girls and fame, there have been many rookies over the years who should have stayed in school at the very least for another season. When it comes to the 2015 Draft Class, it is no different. Sure there hasn’t been an Anthony Bennett to date, but there are a number of players who are prime poster candidates for a “stay in school, it’s your best move” promotion.

For those who are considering entering their name into the 2016 draft, unless your name is Ben Simmons (all but a guaranteed lock at #1), Buddy Hield (a senior SG from Oklahoma) and possibly Kris Dunn (a third-year PG from Providence), rethinking your eligibility might be a good idea.

I know, who are we kidding, if a job is going to offer you millions to play a game, school can take a back seat. Taking into consideration that many of the below names are still teenagers and have plenty of time for improvement, they are far from draft day busts, and that is not what this piece is portraying. However, another season of backpacks and books, or another year overseas, may have been helpful in more ways than one.

Mario Hezonja - Currently averaging a shade over thirteen minutes a game, the fifth overall pick has not lit up the stat sheet like some expected for the Orlando Magic. The 20-year-old Croatian forward has struggled to pick up the NBA offensive and defensive intensity in his rookie year. Would it be wrong for Scott Skiles to give Hezonja a couple of nights down in the D-League? Recently the rookie has put a run of double-digit minutes together (thirteen of sixteen), which leads some to hope that the Magic made the right choice in June. However, it still doesn’t mean that the rookie is ready for the league, just yet.

Emmanuel Mudiay - Technically, Mudiay couldn’t stay in school as he never went, but regardless of playing pro for one season overseas, he still isn’t ready for success in the league. When you break down his stats on and off the floor, the Denver Nuggets perform better with the seventh pick on the bench. Shooting only 31% from the field, 24% from three and 68% from the free throw line are less than impressive numbers, but, what is more concerning, is the fact that the Nuggets offense starts with a player who averages just under six assists, but commits four turnovers a night. If he isn’t missing buckets, he is missing his teammates.

Stanley Johnson - The Detroit Pistons added their wing of the future in the Arizona Wildcat freshman. As with other rooks, Johnson has struggled not only with making his shot but also shot decisions. Currently shooting only 38%, he has to work on consistency, at times shooting over 45% and then quickly turning around and hardly hitting 30%. The Pistons have a young, impressive core with Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson as bookends and if Johnson’s offensive skills can start to match his nightly defensive efforts, Detroit will be a team to deal with in the East. In his one and done NCAA season Johnson averaged 44% from the field, 37% for downtown and 74% from the line, all numbers he is falling short on matching. Had he stayed in Arizona, Johnson would have been the focal point of the Wildcats offense, therefore putting on similar scoring pressure that he is feeling now.

Kelly Oubre - The Kansas Jayhawks freshman faces a similar situation to Hezonja in that he has joined a team that will most certainly use in prominently in the future, but in the present, he struggles to get any burn. Oubre was considered to be the next Andrew Wiggins in Kansas, but such has not been the case, both on the NCAA or NBA level. Yes, he has a future as a long range threat and a defensive stopper (think a more athletic Bruce Bowen), but under Bill Self may have seen Oubre come into the league more polished and game-ready.

Kevon Looney - Injuries are an unfortunate thing for anyone. On one side of the coin, it’s not as if the Golden State Warriors are missing the UCLA forward, on the other, Looney has over a million reasons why signing a rookie contract was better than returning to the Bruins for his sophomore year. After a mediocre summer league, Looney went under the knife for a torn right hip labrum, something that both parties knew could be a possibility. Thing is, even if healthy, Looney doesn’t possess the NBA small forward game, which then puts him in a logjam for minutes with Draymond Green, Marreese Speights, James Michael McAdoo and Jason Thompson.  Yes the contract certainly makes the injury feel better, but had he not been forced medically to sit out, the splinters he would be pulling out of his rear end may not have been worth declaring.

Andrew and Aaron Harrison - Drafted with the 44th pick, Andrew was selected by the Phoenix Suns, before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. After summer league, the former Kentucky Wildcats sophomore was sent to the Iowa Energy (Grizzlies D-League). Interestingly enough, Andrew’s twin brother Aaron went undrafted but was signed in the summer by the Charlotte Hornets. While he has been mostly anchored to the bench, with only 26 minutes of floor time in six games this season, the fact that both were highly overrated heading into Kentucky and came out without much fanfare makes the twins poster children for staying in school.

2 Comments
To Top