In prior years, high school basketball standouts have gone on to play at the college level for at least one season. After that, they enter the draft. This has been done by stars like Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson. However, it might become popular for some to take the G League route.
Fans used to see high school players head straight to the NBA, and some of the best basketball talents have done so. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Tracy McGrady are all players that entered the NBA right out of high school.
With new rules in place, a player must be at least one year removed from high school to play in the NBA. That changed recruiting, and it resulted in some of these top talents playing in college. John Calipari and Mike Krzyzewski are two of the top college recruiters that have targeted some of these guys to play for them for one season.
In 2020, the No. 3 overall recruit, Jalen Green, has decided to enter the G League professional path. He is one of the first top prospects to select to go this route. Some are wondering if others may follow if it seems to be successful for him.
They created this program for elite high school players that weren’t looking to spend just one year in college. This allows them to spend a year with NBA coaches on a G-League team to develop as a player.
“It was somewhat of an ask that the G League create a program for young men that were looking for a path alternative to the traditional route,” Shareef Abdur-Rahim, the G-League president, told 247 Sports. “We saw an opportunity to be able to do that and be that place.”
This program won’t be allowed for every recruit but allows top players to target their NBA career.
“Everything from on-court training, classroom work to learn the NBA game, NBA terminology, players will come out of this program knowing the NBA game, knowing the NBA language that we have,” Abdur-Rahim added.
NCAA Effect
Some are concerned that this may have a negative impact on the NCAA. However, it will go on like it always has. LeBron and Kobe never saw the floor in a college game, but that never slowed down college basketball. It will still remain way more popular than the G-League.
Another aspect that some of these players will look at is the attention they receive in college compared to the G-League. In this program, they will have a year without gyms packed full of fans to watch them play. It will be purely for their development as a future star in the NBA, but it will lack the experience that they could have with a school like Duke or Kentucky.
A lot of the future players that are considering this route will have a close eye on the guys that do. It could become a popular move if guys like Green move on to have early success in the NBA.