That is such a good point. It's like if a regular student was writing for the Ky Kernel on campus and ESPN called and offered a 6 figure salary to them because they were such a talented writer- pretty sure we'd all leave school before graduation in that scenario.
That said, I never blame someone for leaving early but there is a difference between getting drafted and being ready.
I love Herro's game, nothing I can really pick apart. But...first round pick or not he will get toasted in the league unless he gets significantly stronger and puts on some lbs. Hangans similarly needs to be able to shoot the ball, if not he will spend his career overseas or in d-league.
If you have a talent for writing in college and ESPN offers you a job to write, the pen, pad, chair you sit in, style, talent, ability, all stays the same. There’s no risk really. There’s also not a HOF that’s known to billions of people, and achievements that competitors live for and some gain immortality.
Leaving too early for the NBA has cost players billions (we just don’t discuss it and it’s tough to measure) but we know it’s happening. It’s also cost players legacies, careers, and more.
People today are so greedy and consumed by the dollar that they think so short sighted.
Michael Jordan may have never became Michael Jordan had he been a OAD. Maybe K Brown would have been a stud for years and years had he played a few years in college. Confidence is a real thing that effects many players. And it’s easy to lose it.
Every player is different. Just because money is there doesn’t mean, at all, that every or lost or even half should jump immediately.
Injuries can happen, you can lose draft spots, but even then, there are many players who feel confidence from making that decision and they stick in the NBA for years and years. If you become so injured or so garbage because of an extra year or two of college ball, then I’d submit you weren’t meant to be an NBA player in the first place. Something else meant for you.