Roundtable: Does One-And-Done Rule (to the NBA) Need to Change?
The Inside the Loud staff is back with another Roundtable to debate and discuss if the One-and-Done Rule should change.
Adam Silver, The NBA’s Commissioner recently came out and said that the “One-and-done rule is not working for anyone,” according to FoxSports.com. Inside the Loud House decided to look at this issue in this week’s roundtable discussion.
Q: Does the One-and-Done Rule (From College to the NBA) Need to Change? Also would you change the age limit up, down, or neither?
Zachary Weisleder- Contributor
Follow: @ZachWeisleder
I think that the one-and-done rule should continue to be allowed. If anything, the minimum age should be lowered moving forward. The extents that these young athletes go to in order to make a living out of basketball should result in them making their own decisions.
Many of these players end up being busts, and could have benefited from an extra year or two in the NCAA. However, if players aren’t allowed to leave after one year, it may hurt their chances of living up to their full potential if they either get injured, or have one less year to make money in the pros.
Several of the one-and-done players leave college early in order to provide a steady income for their families. I believe that this rule needs to stay put.
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Paul A. Esden Jr.- Site Expert
Follow: @BoyGreen25
I couldn’t disagree with Zach more. The one and done rule needs to change. It’s killing college basketball. Imagine how more rich NBA Drafts would be with a deeper and more experienced talent pool. There are rare exceptions (Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett) who made jump from high school, the majority needs to develop their games and skill sets to be suitable for NBA.
The age limit I would make is 20. The NBA is more than just basketball: it’s life. You’re handed millions of dollars, traveling for 82 games, and a lot of chances to make bad choices. Taking life classes in college and growing up will benefit everyone.
NBA teams would rather have an extra year of tape to study and have players who are less likely to be immature. Sure players want their money and could get injured in that extra year, but they could also end their career slipping on an ice cube. You can’t be afraid of life because of knowledge of death, you gotta live everyday like your last and take life at face value.
Neil Adler- Contributor
This is a timely issue, and a great question. I am a firm believer in a free-enterprise system. If high-school players want to jump to the pros, that’s their choice and their prerogative. I absolutely, positively think that these talents would prove better served if they went to college for at least two years. It would prove better for the NBA, and college basketball.
However, I don’t think there should be an age restriction. Do tennis or golf players have to go to college first before turning pro? Nope. I agree with Paul that we haven’t seen a ton of guys successfully make the jump from high school to the pros. But they have to do what’s best for them and their families. And they should have every right to make a move to the NBA whenever they deem appropriate.
Josh Peelman- Contributor
Follow: @jnpmessenger
I think its a tough call honestly, I mean I agree with a lot of what you guys have already said, but also fervently disagree on other points. I believe that players should have the right to leave after high school or one year in college if they want to. They have families to provide for and if that’s the solution and the job’s lined up, who are we to stop them from doing so?
Personally, I originally thought it was a good idea that the NBA mandated you have to be at least 19 years old. It made athlete’s have to grow up and be a tiny bit more mature before going off to the big-leagues and earning real cash. However, I think over time my view has changed.
If I am really good at what I did coming out of high school, whether that be in sports or something else, should an employer really shy away from me because i’m too young? It seems stupid right? I get that some people will get drafted into the NBA after one year in college and soon leave the league because they weren’t ready, but that was their choice. It’s not for us to judge if they made the wrong choice. They alone will have to deal with the consequences.
Age Restriction?
I think there shouldn’t be an age limit personally. It’s rare to have great players who are ready to make the jump to the NBA and skip college coming out of high school like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett and still be successful in the league, but its possible.
I don’t think college really helps mature players or prepares them for the NBA anymore than high school does. Yeah, these kids will learn a couple life lessons, but ultimately, its just a waste of time to most of them. If they are talented, like we saw last year, they don’t want to risk their future by getting hurt. So maybe letting these kids play in the league after high school is the best idea all things considered.
If they fail and don’t do well after being drafted, then the NBA team will still send them to the D-League. They’ll still earn money and be able to help their families, which they can’t do if they are stuck in college.
Next: Roundtable: Should ACC Schools Be Able to Restrict Where Transfers End Up?
If I were a kid playing basketball, I wouldn’t want people making choices for me. If I think I’m ready and scouts love me, why shouldn’t I? I originally liked the rule that the players had to be 19. But after giving it some serious thought, I think there shouldn’t be an age limit. Instead a suggestion that finishing high school should be heavily encouraged.
Do I think kids would benefit from being in college for at least two years? Most definitely. Do I dislike the one-and-done rule that most many freshman choose? Yes. However, we can’t force them to do that. If the kid is over qualified for the job he wants, why should employers not hire him? It simply comes down to that. What’s best in our mind may not be the same in the mind of an athlete.