I know this is hard for some of you to grasp, but NBA teams at the bottom of the first round aren’t drafting for who can help them tomorrow. They’re drafting for potential and ROI.
Late‑first teams are contenders. They don’t need a polished 22‑year‑old to give them 7 minutes in January. They need a cheap, controllable upside swing who might become a rotation piece in two years. That’s why they’ll take a raw 19‑year‑old now rather than pay twice as much for him next year when he’s more developed.
That’s how the league works. It’s about upside, projection, and long‑term value, not whatever box score you’re clinging to from January.
Hope that clears things up for those still trying to connect the dots.
Note: ROI is ‘return on investment’. It means: “If I put X in, how much more than X do I get back?”
Late‑first teams are contenders. They don’t need a polished 22‑year‑old to give them 7 minutes in January. They need a cheap, controllable upside swing who might become a rotation piece in two years. That’s why they’ll take a raw 19‑year‑old now rather than pay twice as much for him next year when he’s more developed.
That’s how the league works. It’s about upside, projection, and long‑term value, not whatever box score you’re clinging to from January.
Hope that clears things up for those still trying to connect the dots.
Note: ROI is ‘return on investment’. It means: “If I put X in, how much more than X do I get back?”
