I’m talking about guys like Mikey Williams, Cassius Stanley, Skyy Clark, Dior Johnson, Shareef O’Neal, Kyree Walker. I know a lot of these guys are still young, but I remember all of their Hs and AAU games would always be sold out and they all were easy top d1 prospects. None of them had the typical one and done college or g league nba careers
because they were hyped up social media hs basketball players and not nba players
Oj Mayo and Jabari Parker come to mind when I see topics like that. Oj is banned from the NBA and Jabari had some injuries if I remember correctly but they paned out how the media sold them to us.
You need to grow tall and athletic to be in the NBA. That’s the only criterium, really. The players that don’t make it are not tall and athletic enough.
Answer is in your question. Getting caught up in the hype gets the best of anyone.
this guy thinks everyone on social media is a Pro, probably believes everything on the net as well
Mikey hasnt played a college game yet but he didnt pan out in the nba? Lol idont think he will either but cmon gotta make the pro’s first to not “pan out”
Before social media you had guys like Sebastian telfair. Busts have always been a thing it’s just more visible now.
The world is also catching up to the us in player development. American players are coddled aau divas compared to guys from the slums of Paris who cut their teeth playing against grown men.
Watch that Sierra canyon documentary on Amazon and you’ll see the difference
Telfair played in the league for a decade… he was never considered to be a great player but definitely was a good player by NBA standards
No he wasn’t. He was an end of the bench guy.
He was still a bust in terms of the expectations people had after he was featured on a sports illustrated centerfold. He should have been one of the best players I’m the league but stopped growing both physically and on the court due to believing his own hype.
Social media and aau are creating more and more of these guys
Speaking specifically for Mikey W, his hype died down significantly while STILL in high school. He was riding that middle school/freshman year hype for a long time just through social media presence. His junior year he dropped down significantly in ranking and then even more during his senior. He was bigger at first, then others hit their growth spurt and he didn’t grow more.
Mikey was cocky and had a gun charge. Dudes personality was so weird. He always whispered while making statements to try to seem cool lol
Because they arent used to not being the focal point of the offense. These names you mention, arent necessarily high iq guys so without the ball in their hands, they turn into horshesh*t. Then their confidence takes a hit and it all goes downhill from there
NBA is hard
It’s almost like basketball skill and social media hype are different things, weird /s
Those guys were the best player on every team they’ve ever been on and never learned how to adapt their game to being a supportive piece rather than a primary option. A very select few cut it in the NBA as a #1, everyone else needs to learn how to impact the game off the ball and on defense.
There have always been busts in the NBA. Many went #1 in the draft.
Bad Scouting, team fit, expectations, etc.
Many times it’s the team you go to. 60% of the teams in the NBA have zero idea on how to develop players and most coaches just want to save their jobs. Teams like San Antonio, Miami, etc. are known for player development. Much better landing spot for a young player who needs work than the Wizards or Pistons. Even teams with past glory have been awful developing players like the Bulls and Portland.
It’s not just about size or natural talent or genes, that probably accounts for about 40% of your chances. It’s about heart and work ethic. How bad do you want it and how hard will you work? Will you listen to coaches and work on your game. Are you a good teammate? Do you make the players around you better or are you just a ball hog? Are you a gym rat? Will you take care of your body? Thats all probably another 50%! The last 10%, just plain luck!!! Still have to stay healthy and just get a break!
1 in 100 have the right mindset set and makeup and 1 in 1000 actually make it!
It’s size though lol. To be in the NBA at the 6’0 to 6’3 range (which is already tall for a normal player). You literally have to be either a freak athlete or the most skilled player in your class like .00001%.
Even a player like Brunson (listed at 6’2) who was the best player in college basketball couldn’t even break it in the first round