Troy Williams invited to NBA camp, Yogi alternate
- Thread starter TC4THREE
- Start date
You're forgetting the 3rd leg of the stool: size and length. The numbers don't lie for 5' 9" point guards in the league.
Just as college is totally different from HS, so is the NBA different from college. Success in one does not always translate. And it can work both ways. There have been players better in the pros than they were in college. There are some similar comments over on the Biggie & Barnes thread.
Isaiah Thomas (Celtics) comes to mind as a current exception, but you have to be a special player to be effective against the omnipresent length in the league. Given his strength and shooting ability, I wouldn't rule out Yogi making a home for himself somewhere in the league, but he'll likely have to go the NBADL or European route to get there.
It's always that way when moving up a level. The size, length, and athleticism required is always much greater when moving up a level. That's why PJ Thompson had to wait until the Spring of his senior year to get a high major offer despite being a very good high school player. The concern with Yogi is that players will score over him, which is a testament to the skill of NBA guards, in addition to their length and athleticism.
Consider that the league 3 point percentage this season was 35.4% despite a much deeper line, shorter shot clock, and much more athletic defenses than college. NBA three point percentages have risen over time despite the number of attempts per game rising considerably over the same time. That speaks to a very high skill level across the league.
Who says the NBA values Williams more than Yogi? People need to not read so much into something like this. Most likely the NBA knows all it needs to know about Yogi and still has questions about someone as athletic as Williams who played mostly for a guard dominant offense in college. Not ragging you but so often there is way too much reading between the lines. Also, Yogi is a senior so feedback won't help him where it might help Williams.
That's true but there are also different defensive rules (no perimeter double-teaming or trapping allowed, correct?) that obviously favor the offensive player.
Count me as one of those. I despise the NBA game and it's influence on how the college game is now played.
