# Stay in school and not turn pro. Any good reason(s)? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 12, 2019, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stay-in-school-and-not-turn-pro-any-good-reason-s/832423 "2019-04-12T01:54:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stay-in-school-and-not-turn-pro-any-good-reason-s/832423/21 "2019-04-15T21:43:25Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > But one can always go back to school and get a degree. This. With the right agent, a signing bonus alone can cover tuition. ---
**Author:** ![Covfefe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Covfefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covfefe)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stay-in-school-and-not-turn-pro-any-good-reason-s/832423/22 "2019-04-16T20:46:11Z")
Blake Griffin is probably the best NBA prospect in the last 10-ish years who returned to school who would have definitely been picked in the top 10, maybe top 5 if he had left after his freshman season. If a player is practically a lock to be picked in the top 10, the chances of entering the draft early are extremely high. This is especially true since 2015, because beginning with that draft more freshmen than ever (15-20 on average) are going pro early, in part because improved scouting means teams are more willing to take the chance on one and the advice they receive reflects this. > [@Jasmine](#): > > It’s all about money, so the only reason to stay in school would be to further prove yourself so you could move up in the draft when you do go pro. > > I really think Zion Williamson hurt his standing when Duke showed so horribly in the NCAA tournament. It’s not just that they lost, it’s that they should have lost two rounds earlier and then again and finally for the third and final time. A true super star doesn’t allow that to happen, at least not to the level of teams that they played in those games. > > So, for him, staying another year to further prove himself might be worth it if his stature has dropped in the eyes of the NBA. If he feels he wasn’t really hurt from it, then he should go now. Zion has been rated no worse than top 2, so this is a no brainer and it’s where he will go unless a medical red flag pops up. From the perspective of NBA organizations, this is an 18-year old. No 18 or 19 year old is a superstar there. It’s about the potential, although plenty of his is already virtually proven. Even Lebron didn’t make a 1st All-NBA team until his third season. Performance in the tournament is one smaller piece of the pie of total evaluation that usually doesn’t affect mock drafts much. Scouts and analysts aren’t holding any 18-year old to that high of a standard where not successfully carrying an NCAA team is a demerit. ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2019, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stay-in-school-and-not-turn-pro-any-good-reason-s/832423/23 "2019-04-19T12:00:57Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > I really think Zion Williamson hurt his standing when Duke showed so horribly in the NCAA tournament. It’s not just that they lost, it’s that they should have lost two rounds earlier and then again and finally for the third and final time. A true super star doesn’t allow that to happen, at least not to the level of teams that they played in those games. I don’t understand what this means. A really good player doesn’t let the rest of his team get outplayed? Williamson didn’t disappear in those games, and especially in the UCF game, carried the rest of an underperforming squad across the finish line by himself. That’s the sort of result you want to see a player post up: the ability to win even when the rest of the team falls apart. I can’t see what else he has to prove: NBA teams have never shown much concern in how a player’s team did in the tournament or the season, just how the player did in those. Nerlens Noel got drafted sixth overall the year after Kentucky went to the NIT and lost in the first round to Robert Morris. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stay-in-school-and-not-turn-pro-any-good-reason-s/832423.md?page=1)