Youth served at NBA draft
Freshmen lead the way, including No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz
College freshmen were selected with the first seven picks in Thursday’s NBA draft, marking the first time in draft history that has happened. The previous record was the first four.
The run stopped at No. 8, but freshmen went off the board with the next three picks, making it 10 of the first 11.
The Philadelphia 76ers took Washington guard Markelle Fultz with the No. 1 pick, the Los Angeles Lakers selected UCLA guard Lonzo Ball at No. 2 and the Boston Celtics drafted Duke’s Jayson Tatum with the third pick.
At No. 4, the Phoenix Suns took Kansas’ Josh Jackson, and at No. 5, the Sacramento Kings selected Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox.
With the sixth pick, the Orlando Magic took Florida State’s Jonathan Isaac. And at No. 7, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected Arizona’s Lauri Markkanen, then traded his rights to the Chicago Bulls.
The New York Knicks took Frank Ntilikina of France at No. 8, but college freshmen were picked at Nos. 9 to 11— North Carolina State’s Dennis Smith by the Dallas Mavericks, Gonzaga’s Zach Collins by the Sacramento Kings and Kentucky’s Malik Monk by the Charlotte Hornets. The Kings dealt Collins’ rights to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Sixteen freshmen were picked in the first round, breaking the record of 13 in the first round of 2015, and as many as 20 one-and-done players were expected to be selected overall.
Collins was a top-30 recruit as a high school senior in 2016 and was not a projected 2017 first-round pick one year ago. Even late during his freshman season at Gonzaga, Collins considered returning as a sophomore, but he had a great NCAA tournament and turned into a projected first-rounder.
“When I got to Gonzaga for that first summer session, I wasn’t a one-and-done player,” Collins said. “The way they put in the time with their players to develop them, I don’t think it’s matched. I can’t speak for other schools, but the way they did it at Gonzaga was so special.
“You really had no choice but to get better because they were so enthusiastic about it — that whole year, them developing me and my whole game, the mental side, too.”
In the 2014 draft, the first four picks were freshmen, and in 2008 four of the first five were oneand-dones. But this is different. Based on potential and valuable rookie contracts, teams also don’t think they can pass on that combination.
It puts a spotlight on the league’s one-and-done rule, which allows players to leave college for the NBA after their freshman season.
At the NBA Finals this month, Commissioner Adam Silver ad- dressed the issue, saying the oneand-done rule isn’t working out for the league or colleges. He said he was open to exploring better options.
“When we first changed the minimum age from 18 to 19, the following year in 2006 we had two one-and-done players,” Silver said. “So my sense is it’s not working for anyone. It’s not working certainly from the college coaches and athletic directors I hear from. They’re not happy with the current system.
“And I know our teams aren’t happy either, in part because they don’t necessarily think that the players coming into the league are getting the kind of training that they would expect to see among top draft picks in the league.”
Silver said he will explore solutions to see if the NBA can come up with a better system. He said those conversations will occur with several interested parties: college coaches and athletics directors, NBA coaches and executives and the National Basketball Players Association.
“I’m not standing here today saying I have the perfect solution,” Silver said.
The league at one point wanted to raise the age from 19 to 20, and the players union wanted to lower the age limit to 18, creating an environment in which high school seniors are eligible for the draft. The 2005 draft was the last time high schoolers could enter the draft.
Silver said he was willing to consider several ideas, including a return to players going from high school to the NBA.