Young hoopsters who dream of making it big in the NBA should consider going to college and staying for multiple years. New data from the world's foremost basketball league suggests that players who spent at least 3 years in college generally had more prosperous NBA careers than preps-to-pros prospects and one-and-doners.
Of course, there are exceptions to the rule like 2-time NBA champion LeBron James and 4-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant. But think about this: 8 of the top 10 MVP vote getters this season, including unanimous MVP winner Stephen Curry, spent multiple years in college, as per Sporting News.
Started From The Bottom
Curry, an unwanted college recruit back in 2006, had to show up for three weeks of intense try-outs before making a firm believer out of Davidson coach Bob McKillop. Curry's demeanor and penchant for scoring landed him a spot in the Wildcats roster, but he was far from the lean 6-foot-3 point guard fans know him today.
According to Yahoo Sports, most colleges ignored Curry because he looked too small and too flimsy. He was just 5-foot-8 entering Charlotte Christian High School and 6-foot-1 going into college. For many, the NBA dream would have ended there. For Curry, it was just the beginning of his ascension to basketball immortality.
In his first season playing for Davidson, Curry transformed from being a risky prospect to a dangerous scoring machine. He then became an NCAA Tournament phenomenon as a sophomore and a consensus All-American in his junior year. The Golden State Warriors was fortunate enough to still had him on the boards for the 7th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. The rest, as they say, is history.
Late Bloomers
Other NBA superstars such as Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard and Kyle Lowry were also late bloomers. Draymond Green, who is the human equivalent of a Swiss Army knife, was ranked as the 86th high school prospect to enter college in 2008. After 4 seasons under Tom Izzo, Green's production skyrocketed from 3.3 points per game to a 16-10 double-double average.
Young Transcendent Players Are Rare
Those who decide to follow in LeBron James' and Kevin Durant's footsteps should try and reassess their career goals. Only 78 American players who played less than 2 years in college suited up for NBA teams this season.
The Guardian reported that the likes of James and Durant only account for 16 percent of all NBA players. They are the ones with the greatest upside, but are also the ones who tend to leave the league early.
