NBA Draft: Why "The Veteran Rookie" Needs More Consideration
As often the case in the NBA draft, age plays a crucial part in player evaluation.
Someone 19 will always have more time to figure out who they are as players, meaning the clock just moves slower.
Someone 24 is closing in on his prime years, meaning that player isn't likely to offer much change.
It's a tale as old as time, and one that has generated years of debate among fans, scout and executives in front offices.
"Do you roll the dice on someone with upside, or do we go with someone who has a more established baseline?"
The vast majority of teams choose the first option, and often rightly so. The draft is an entity that focuses on future success — not present — where free agency is for problem-solving.
Need a wing? Sign him, don't draft him unless he's the best player on the board.
However, there does seem to be a place for both parties. Sure, older players may have to wait their turn at the actual draft — and some might even have to wait for a call after it to get their chance. But there is room for the "veteran rookie" as long as the situation calls for it.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, selected No. 57 overall last year, is turning 24 later this month. He's played almost 500 minutes for the Warriors so far this season, and is averaging 6.7 points and 4.2 rebounds in just 13.8 minutes per game.
His production shouldn't come as a surprise, given how effective he was during his college days at Indiana, clearly proving himself as one of the most polished players in the nation.
Yes, he's missing a long-range shot. Yes, he might also be missing a reliable jumper in the mid-range area. But what he does do — rebound, block shots, score near the rim, make solid reads as a passer — fills a role.
For where Jackson-Davis was drafted, he turned into a freaking steal, where age became this thing that was quickly glossed over, and rightly so given how he's played.
This leads me to Armando Bacot from UNC, the fifth-year big man who has a track record of piling up rebounds, score opportunistically, and swat shots near the rim.
Like Jackson-Davis, Bacot doesn't take outside shots. He's hit three over the span of 154 games. He comes with flaws, and he's also about to turn 24.
But he also comes with a level of production which — particularly in this draft — could see him make an NBA roster. His defense might have some larger question marks hanging over it, and the noted shooting concerns aren't great, but the man will absolutely rebound for any team, and he'll put that ball back up an in.
Bacot is, historically, a tremendous offensive rebounder who routinely outworks his opponents for the ball. He's pure energy, has uncanny willpower, and will gain his team possessions.
If that's not good enough for a late second-round selection, then so be it. But at some point we need to give actual production the time of day.
We can talk about tools, wingspans, skill level to the point where we're all blue in the face — and make no mistake, all those elements matter greatly — but if a player flat-out produces whenever he's on the court, it deserves consideration.
That is often the case with older players, and this draft might thus endear teams more to that type of player when the uncertainty of depth in the class.
This isn't the say Bacot should play for 10 seasons. Rather, it's a plea to at least give those type of players a deeper look. Would we really all be that shocked if a player like Bacot made it to the league, and became a 12-minute specialty player?
Because we shouldn't be.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
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