Bad
By Anthony Cullotta
If the NBA’s proposal to lower the league’s eligibility age from 19 to 18 goes through, it will spell disaster for both the NBA and NCAA.
First off, the most prominent reason is that the level of play will drop significantly in the NCAA. College players need at least a year to mature before the jump to the NBA.
Going from high school to the NBA worked for players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garrnet and Dwight Howard. But no matter how good a player might be at the high school level, it is very rare to find talent of that caliber.
Most kids coming straight out of high school are not big or strong enough to take on the best talent in the world every night. Playing college basketball for at least a year gives them time to develop and mature into NBA-ready athletes.
This change will also hurt play at the college level. March Madness is one of the most exciting times in all of sports. Imagine taking away the top talent in the NCAA: The tournament would not be anywhere near as exciting as it is now.
Eric will tell you that the proposal benefits the players who want to make money, but it will hurt the quality of play in the NCAA. Really, the only league benefiting here is the NBA as the young stars will bring fans to games.
Lowering the draft age will hurt the preparedness of players in the NBA to perform at the highest level. It will also result in college basketball losing its best players and the excitement that comes with them.
Good
By Eric Gray
What do legendary basketball players LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady all have in common? They all went straight from high school to the NBA and leapfrogged the NCAA.
Last month, the NBA sent a proposal to the National Basketball Players Association to lower the minimum age to enter the NBA Draft from 19 to 18. The league hopes to have the proposal completely effective for 2022.
While the extra year can improve the player’s development, there are significant risks. On Feb. 21, Duke star and expected No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson suffered an injury in a game against North Carolina. The freak accident happened when Williamson planted his foot awkwardly and tore through the side of his shoe.
Luckily, the injury was only a mild knee sprain, but accidents like this cause debates on how much a player should jeopardize their professional career for one year of college.
Alongside Williamson are Duke freshmen R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish, who are both projected top-5 draft picks in the upcoming 2019 draft. One wrong step during a practice or game could cost them millions of dollars and a successful professional career.
According to the NBA.com, the top-3 draft picks from last year made $8.2 million, $7.3 million and $5.5 million, respectively, for their first season. Even if a player drafted this high does not turn out to be a long-term player, he will still make a comfortable amount of cash.
The future of the NBA rests on its up-and-coming stars. Being able to capitalize on the players’ potential as soon as possible will benefit both the players and the NBA as an entity.
