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Comment by LeifCarrotson | Hacker News Reader

But interestingly, it won't affect the players' immediate economic futures, as they're all prohibited from being paid by the NCAA.

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Hmm you don’t think there’s any seniors that could play so well that they’d make the NBA draft?

It isn't likely. An NBA caliber player that is a senior will likely have played 100+ NCAA basketball games. A few good/bad games in the tournament isn't going to change their overall chance of getting picked in the NBA draft. And the NBA draft is very shallow to begin with, only 60 picks total and still some of those players don't make the teams. In the NFL and MLB it is very common for undrafted/late round picks to become stars, but not common at all in the NBA where your physical ability (which is easily measurable) is so important for excelling.

There also is the G-League which is essentially the NBA minor league. Anybody on the bubble of making the NBA who wants a job will get a chance in the G-League, and if they were truly NBA caliber then they'd prove themself and get the opportunity.

Do you think Zion Williamson would still be as legendary as he is now without last year's tournament? He was well-known going into it but I feel like his performance and the attention he got during it helped a lot.

Zion Williamson was already regarded as the consensus #1 pick prior to the NCAA tournament. Yes, I think Zion Williamson would still be as legendary as he is now without last year's tournament. If the extra rest would have led to him not getting injured in the NBA preseason, he may even be considered more legendary.

The guy is 6'6" and 280 lbs and can fly. There are only one of him in this world. The only other players like him in my lifetime are Shaq, Yao and Lebron. Just unique physical phenoms. He was going #1 regardless of his performance in the tournament. Heck, Yao and Lebron didn't even play college basketball and went #1.

there have been guys who went from a second round pick (non-guaranteed contract) to a first round pick (guaranteed $1M+) on the strength of their tournament play.

But of course there is another player who had a bad tournament or whose team didn't make the tournament that dropped from a first round pick to a second round pick based on another player rising.

I'm basically trying to answer this question: Is there a player who is talented enough to play in the NBA, but won't get that chance because the NCAA tournament is cancelled. The answer is no. If the player is on the bubble they'll likely get a G-League contract and if they excel in the G-League they'll get a shot in the NBA.

If they drop from the first round to the second round, they'll still get a chance. Obviously a good tournament or bad tournament might chance draft ordering and short term compensation, but the average NBA salary is ~7 million dollars. A million dollars here and there isn't going to make a difference if the player is truly NBA caliber.

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