The NBA Draft is right around the corner and prop sects are trying to make a final mark on teams ahead of the June draft where they will learn which franchise they’ll be responsible for helping emerge from the depths. For Marcus Smart, he’ll no doubt have to help a team currently in the depths of the NBA as he’s projected as a lottery pick this summer.
Many believe that Smart could have been projected a lot higher in last year’s draft had he declared then, but the guard elected to return to Oklahoma State for another year. Analysts say it was a mistake since it hurt his draft value — if every so slightly — but Smart isn’t regretting a thing.
“The reason I came back is my freshman year was the first time I played point guard,” Smart said, via Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I wanted to embrace that role and become a better point guard, learn the position before I take my talents to the NBA where guys have been playing that role their whole life.“
It’s funny when pundits beat their chests for athletes to stay in school, then tear them down and lower their value when they actually do. Smart may not be the No. 1 overall pick but he is going to go at the very top half of the draft which proves returning to school isn’t a professional death sentence.