Evaluating Draft Prospects - What Makes a Great NBA Player?

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I wouldn't say it's necessarily an indicator of a great NBA player, but I do think players that have backgrounds or history of playing multiple sports tend to have a ton of tools to their advantage. Different sports require different skills and mentalities -- some of which you won't develop by strictly playing one sport your entire life. They also prepare individuals for different scenarios and environments. If I were conducting a pre-draft interview, one of the first couple of questions I'd ask would center around that.

That's an interesting theory and I think you're on to something. Do you have some examples of elite NBA players who excelled in or at least played other sports? Two who come to my mind are Allen Iverson who was a star cornerback in high school and Hakeem who played soccer.

LeBron played football; Jordan played baseball; Kobe played soccer. Those are three of the best players ever.

[Lipoli390]

I wouldn't say it's necessarily an indicator of a great NBA player, but I do think players that have backgrounds or history of playing multiple sports tend to have a ton of tools to their advantage. Different sports require different skills and mentalities -- some of which you won't develop by strictly playing one sport your entire life. They also prepare individuals for different scenarios and environments. If I were conducting a pre-draft interview, one of the first couple of questions I'd ask would center around that.

That's an interesting theory and I think you're on to something. Do you have some examples of elite NBA players who excelled in or at least played other sports? Two who come to my mind are Allen Iverson who was a star cornerback in high school and Hakeem who played soccer.

LeBron played football; Jordan played baseball; Kobe played soccer. Those are three of the best players ever.

Great examples. I'm going to start looking into this. I wonder if the Wolves or any other NBA front office takes this into account. If not, I think they're failing in their due diligence - one of Gersson's favorite words. :)

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I wouldn't say it's necessarily an indicator of a great NBA player, but I do think players that have backgrounds or history of playing multiple sports tend to have a ton of tools to their advantage. Different sports require different skills and mentalities -- some of which you won't develop by strictly playing one sport your entire life. They also prepare individuals for different scenarios and environments. If I were conducting a pre-draft interview, one of the first couple of questions I'd ask would center around that.

That's an interesting theory and I think you're on to something. Do you have some examples of elite NBA players who excelled in or at least played other sports? Two who come to my mind are Allen Iverson who was a star cornerback in high school and Hakeem who played soccer.

LeBron played football; Jordan played baseball; Kobe played soccer. Those are three of the best players ever.

Great examples. I'm going to start looking into this. I wonder if the Wolves or any other NBA front office takes this into account. If not, I think they're failing in their due diligence - one of Gersson's favorite words. :)

I think you'll find a mixed bag.

While I don't think it's a requirement to predict potential "greatness", I do think it's one of those tie-breaking types of things if you have two prospects that you otherwise evaluate pretty evenly. Pick the kid that competed at a high level in a second sport. That demonstrates a love of competition, teamwork, and cross-training.

My son played football and basketball with a kid in their elementary school days by the name of Jordan Longino. He's currently a senior in H.S. and is headed to Villanova to play basketball next year. Guess what other sport he got D-1 offers in? Football. He never stopped playing football and happens to be an elite quarterback. In fact, he was an elite baseball player too put stopped when he got to high school.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I wouldn't say it's necessarily an indicator of a great NBA player, but I do think players that have backgrounds or history of playing multiple sports tend to have a ton of tools to their advantage. Different sports require different skills and mentalities -- some of which you won't develop by strictly playing one sport your entire life. They also prepare individuals for different scenarios and environments. If I were conducting a pre-draft interview, one of the first couple of questions I'd ask would center around that.

That's an interesting theory and I think you're on to something. Do you have some examples of elite NBA players who excelled in or at least played other sports? Two who come to my mind are Allen Iverson who was a star cornerback in high school and Hakeem who played soccer.

Michael Jordan - Baseball, Football
LeBron James - Football
Kobe Bryant - Soccer
Dwyayne Wade - Football
Hakeem Olajuwon - Soccer
Tim Duncan - Swimming
Wilt Chamberlain - Volleyball, Track
Danny Ainge - Baseball
Steve Nash - Soccer
Allen Iverson - Football
Steph Curry - Baseball, Football, Golf
Karl-Anthony Towns - Baseball
Joel Embiid - Soccer, Volleyball
Luol Deng - Soccer

Those are what I can remember without diving too deep into it, but I do think there's a lot to gain by these guys having a past that includes playing multiple sports.

[Lipoli390]

That's a great list, Cam. Any idea which prospects in this year's draft played another sport through high school?

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

That's a great list, Cam. Any idea which prospects in this year's draft played another sport through high school?

That's information that I'd love to know. I know Anthony Edwards grew up playing football all the way through middle school. Tyrese Haliburton dabbled with baseball when he was a lot younger. It's that kind of intel that I think NBA teams should include in their draft profiles of these prospects. It's not a major factor, but it's something I'd want to know if I was an executive.

[KG4Ever]

Zach Lavine, Jaxson Hayes and Little Baller's dads were pro football players. Does that matter?

[MikkeMan]

Kukoc played soccer and table tennis. And if I remember right Mutombo was soccer goalie.

[Monster]

Dirk was a handball wizard.

I think the sports specialization is generally bad but it's probably good for some people. I think playing multiple sports is good for a number of reasons that have been discussed on this forum in the past. There are certainly a few things I could point to that I've taken or could have taken from another sport and applied to make myself better. I learned playing badminton some of my weaknesses as an athlete in the mental aspect of the game. I think that's something I could have worked on if I was highly motivated (and had reason to do so) and had the right guidance. Sometimes it may be worth being humbled a bit playing another sport where you aren't as good too. Idk if that happens too much though when it comes to guys like we are talking about here. Even the really average athlete like Curry is still a really good athlete in terms of Compared to the average high school kid or whatever.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

That's a great list, Cam. Any idea which prospects in this year's draft played another sport through high school?

That's information that I'd love to know. I know Anthony Edwards grew up playing football all the way through middle school. Tyrese Haliburton dabbled with baseball when he was a lot younger. It's that kind of intel that I think NBA teams should include in their draft profiles of these prospects. It's not a major factor, but it's something I'd want to know if I was an executive.

Not sure I'd put much stock on what sports these guys were playing when they were 10 or 11. To me it kind of factors in when they reach high school.

If you are a high level competitor in a couple of sports throughout high school, that says a lot to me about commitment, love for competition, and also the fact that you grew into an elite basketball prospect while not even dedicating yourself to it full time like you will in the NBA, so there may be a lot more upside as compared to the kid at a similar level that has ONLY been playing basketball since 11 or 12.