Following the NBA’s institution of a rule that requires players to be at least 19 years old and one year removed from their graduating class before joining the league, it was believed that the number of prospects that burned out or ruined their respective development would be diminished, as this was the intention behind the rule. Although the rule has accomplished a portion of what it was designed to do, it has also had a negative effect on college basketball. Firstly, the rule forces players that are physically ready for the NBA to spend a year at a college that they would otherwise have no interest in attending. In doing so, it almost makes a mockery of college basketball by giving programs icons that grant them heightened popularity only for that icon to depart for the NBA after one season. On the flipside, the players are forced to wait and have their dreams deferred for yet another year as they are coerced into attending college. Players must then strike a balance, as they walk a precariously fine line between potentially boosting their draft stock or devastating it altogether with an injury.
A recent example of this can be found in Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel. Projected by some as a number one draft pick, Noel’s lofty status was almost derailed completely when he tore his ACL while playing collegiate ball for Kentucky. Despite this crippling injury, he was still drafted as the sixth pick overall by the New Orleans Pelicans and was subsequently traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. Yet, according to 76ers coach Brett Brown, the young center may miss out on the entire season. “I doubt, everybody doubts that he’s going to play this year,” Brown said. “We don’t want to waste this year.” Had Noel been presented with the opportunity to jump right into the NBA, he might have been able to play his first season, as opposed to missing out on it entirely.
The entire reason that I’m writing this isn’t on account of Noel, however. Andrew Wiggins is easily the most athletically gifted player to have come out of high school since LeBron James. He might be lacking in basketball IQ, but he can obviously play, as he has occupied the number one spot in the past two mock drafts and NBA franchises are willing to tank their franchises with an alarming alacrity so that they might have a chance at selecting him first. Wiggins has, in a way, reinvigorated the debate over the one and done rule. Recently, it was inaccurately reported that Adidas was ready to offer Wiggins a $108 million shoe contract. The report — which was widely believed by the public — exacerbated Wiggins’s growing celebrity. In spite of the report being doctored, Wiggins, considered the next to bear the mantle as basketball’s next great player, is undoubtedly a player that you’ll want to keep your eye on. After all of this hype, one can’t help but wonder what would happen to Wiggins’ draft stock were he to get injured during his brief college layover.
His draft stock would inevitably depreciate. He would no longer be predicted to be the number one draft pick. Wiggins would most certainly miss out on lucrative contracts offered by shoe companies. The “One-and-Done” rule effectively guarantees this. Wiggins could ruin any prospects he has in terms of developing a professional career on account of one mishap. This might seem like a pessimistic outlook, by embarking on this slippery slope, but the reality is that all of these are possibilities. There is also the possibility that (fortunately) none of this happens, and we aren’t forced to lament postponement of another talent playing in the NBA. But why gamble when it comes to the future of the sport? The NBA should allow each to player to choose what they desire, and if they choose to go the college route and spend two or more years playing and developing before they join the NBA, then all is well. By the same token, if a player chooses to join the NBA straight after high school, the NBA should not stop them, as it is possible to succeed while taking this route.
