I’ll buy you a beer and we’ll call it even
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I’m not suggesting there is no chance of Hunter staying, I’m saying there are plenty of kids that have been All Americans with terrible draft stock that still left early. For some kids, their goal is not to be in college. They are trying to be professional basketball players. Hunter seems like one of those kids. Not in a bad way, but just that is what he wants to do.
I will be pleasantly surprised if he stays for his junior season.
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Agreed – pleasant surprise if he stays, and you’re right that they are trying to be professional basketball players. I’m thinking maybe it’s reasonable to give it a 10% chance at this point, but on paper it is a lot less attractive to be a professional basketball player if you can make more money being an amateur basketball player who plays in full gyms and on TV, is big man on campus and has all the benefits that provides, is building a social-media following that can clearly be monetized, and also has an eye on a he future in which your extended presence in college makes you a beloved person amongst a huge and wealthy alumni community. All this is an on-paper proposition, but for many players those benefits surely stack up quite nicely against becoming a relatively anonymous person playing for a nice salary in small gyms frequently half full or less.
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While I can sit here on my couch and say objectively somebody will make more money and have more fun staying in college than getting paid peanuts in the G League, high level players have so much belief in themselves (and a lifetime of always being the best) that they often can’t/won’t have that same expectation. And even with NIL, if you are the player it’s just companies giving you money to promote their stuff. You can still do that stuff in the G League and get paid for it. They probably underestimate how much attention to them right now is related to the school and not just themselves.
“high level players have so much belief in themselves (and a lifetime of always being the best) that they often can’t/won’t have that same expectation”
Totally agree.
“You can still do that stuff in the G League and get paid for it. They probably underestimate how much attention to them right now is related to the school and not just themselves.”
Dunno. Truly don’t. IMO it takes a certain set of circumstances. But obviously people who pay for atheltes to endorse their stuff want those athletes to be highly visible people. HD’s best shot at visibility isn’t going to be in the G-League. I wouldn’t even know how to find a G-League broadcast, if such a thing exists. But I do know that Michigan’s gonna play on national TV 10-15 times a year or whatever it might be, and HD’s gonna be talked about on the pundit shows multiple times a week this year, and next year too if he stays. That wasn’t necessarily true for a player of similar position and career arc in Luka Garza. HD brings the sizzle.
I agree that a star player on a top 10 college team is going to have more visibility for advertisers than a random player in the G League, but I’m saying the player probably doesn’t share that opinion. They only see companies wanting to give them money which they can still do after they turn pro. You would need a player that got strong opinions from their family/adviser/agent whatever to convince them otherwise I’m guessing.
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NIL is one thing but I think lots of these guys may figure they will improve faster if basketball is their full time job and not a part time, time-limited activity.
I doubt the comparative compensation between NIL and the G league is a primary factor.
He other factor with Hunter specifically is that he’s quite old for a sophomore - there will be seniors in this draft close to him in age. That alone could be an argument staying would inevitably harm his draft stock.
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I think the chance to be a full fledged adult is really appealing to them. They know the amount of work required to be a professional. When you have classes, even a limited amount of easy classes, you don’t get to dedicate your whole day to the game. They think they’ll be getting a steady paycheck - one without caveats and weird rules to follow - and the opportunity to spend as much time as they want doing what they want.
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Absolutely agree. It may take a few guys screwing this up before a next generation of players figures it out.
I do thing the evolution in thinking here isn’t about what will make them the best possible basketball player. It is about what will make them the most money by being basketball players. And, TBH, I don’t know that we are that far off of that shift in mindset alreaday. Emoni Bates and his dad understand this. It’s about selling what you have NOW more than it is about putting yourself in position to cash in later.
I think players realize they aren’t getting endorsements in the G-League, they just want to get to the NBA and the G-League is one step closer to the NBA.
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Houstan 6, Christie 18, McGowens 20, Murray 27, Curbelo 38, Edey 43,
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I mean, it’s great that there’s coverage of non-Duke players, but ESPN knows that really people only want to know about the impact on Duke. Duke’s stars. Duke’s coach. What does this mean for Duke’s season? What’s at stake for the Duke team and the Duke players? Duke. Duke! Duke.
There’s been exactly one high-profile game this season and it had a lot of Duke players and Duke has four first-rounders, seems reasonable for Givbony to write about 
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2022 NBA mock draft: Where do Paolo Banchero and Duke stars land after Champions Classic?
OR
2022 NBA mock draft: Where do stars land after Champions Classic?
I can tell you with absolute certainly which one the headline writer’s journalism-school professor would have taught…
Houstan 22, Diabate 39 on Vecenie’s new mock
Also re: Juwan and recruiting, Matthew Cleveland and Harrison Ingram have been really good thus far.
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Dickinson isn’t listed in any of these new mocks. It will be interesting to see if he leaves anyway after this year and then maybe just goes to Europe or go the G league route?
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Given the way this year has started I feel like Hunter is likely to pull a Kofi and return for a 3rd year. Reality is that Arizona game is going to be pretty jarring for Hunter going against NBA level athletes.
May be a little hot take-ish but right now only Moussa has the look of a draftable pro.
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does Michigan have room for everyone to return plus the 2022 signees?
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Can Jace Howard move to walk-in status? 
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1 scholarship short
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