This time a year ago, Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart was one of the hottest prospects of the 2013 NBA draft, and he looked every bit the part of a marquee one-and-done player.
He was a top-five lock and potential top-three pick in a subpar draft class. Yet in April, he withdrew his name, opting to stay in Stillwater for another year. We were surprised that he didn't make the jump, but at the same time, we weren't too worried about his outlook heading into the 2014 draft.
Fast forward to the spring of 2014, and we have to ask: Did he help or hurt his draft stock by returning to school for his sophomore year?
It's tough to look at the sequence of events and rationalize that he helped his draft value. Even though his decision was highly respectable, he ended up doing more harm than good when it comes to his short- and long-term NBA status.
When you consider his marginal improvement as a sophomore, the intense scrutiny of the draft process and how loaded the 2014 class is, his cachet took a noticeable hit over the past 12 months. His Cowboys were bounced in the NCAA round of 64, and he'll probably land in the No ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Daniel O'Brien
Did Marcus Smart Help or Hurt NBA Draft Stock by Staying in School?
March 29th, 2014 by Daniel O'Brien Leave a reply »
Advertisement