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The NBA is the highest level of professional basketball in the world, and it has been for some time. Most players who get drafted into the league are good enough to play there from day one.
Some still have to work their way up from being unknown players with potential or even bench warmer on their college teams. These players usually make it easy as long as they can continue to develop their skills over time and make themselves known as stars in the league.
Some former superstars have yet to make it in the NBA despite showing much promise at the college level. Let’s take a look at what makes many former college basketball greats flop when making the jump to pro ball:
Lack of Experience
As a result of the increased level of competition and experience, NBA players are much more mentally and physically prepared to handle the challenges of a pro basketball career. The physicality is simply stronger in the NBA than it is in college, as players are bigger and stronger than their collegiate counterparts.
In contrast, college basketball teams have less depth, so they don’t have as many players who can step up when needed. In addition, many college teams play zone defenses instead of man-to-man, which makes it more difficult to score points because these defenses give up fewer open shots from long-range.
Different Game Styles
In addition to physicality, the strategy of college basketball differs significantly from that of the NBA. Specifically, college players rely heavily on their teammates and coaching staff to help them succeed, whereas NBA stars usually have little-to-no assistance from others during games.
In college, you have more time to think about plays during games because there are fewer refs and no shot clock. In turn, this can lead to some games being very low scoring—but it also means that you don’t have to be as aggressive on offense if you know your teammates will pick up any missed shots or turnovers (as opposed to getting called for traveling).
On top of this change in in-game styles comes another significant difference: skill level. College players tend to be more athletic than their professional counterparts who have had years of training and practice at their craft. While some players may not be able to fully utilize their natural gifts in their first few seasons in the league due simply because they’re still learning how best to utilize them, some never catch up!
NBA is More Physically Demanding
The NBA is also a much more physically demanding game than NCAA basketball. Because they’re playing against guys who are sometimes even bigger and stronger than they’re, it’s difficult for young players to avoid getting pushed around by veterans who know what they’re doing in terms of fouling and defense. They don’t give up easy shots like college kids do because they want money!
Players who thrive in this environment need skill sets beyond athleticism alone. Otherwise, they’ll struggle mightily during training camp or preseason, where coaches will be working them hard while trying out different lineups all over again before rosters are finalized around mid-October (after which any trades would require waivers).
Additionally, the NBA schedule is grueling, requiring players to spend many hours traveling from city to city on their off days. College basketball teams usually have shorter travel distances between games, so they can spend less time away from home than NBA players do.
No Solid Chemistry and Coaching
Though many people think that the players are what matter most in the NBA, they’re not as important as you may be led to believe. It could help in college basketball betting odds, but it’s totally a different story in the pro game.
For many coaches, coaching isn’t just about getting talented players together and giving them instructions on how to play their positions. It’s more about:
- understanding what makes each player tick;
- recognizing their strengths and weaknesses;
- knowing when to push buttons or take a step back; and
- figuring out what works for each player so that he can perform at his highest possible level on game day.
Simply put, coaches often get more out of less-talented teams than other coaches might be able to do with more talented squads.
Bad Attitude
You can’t always blame the coach for a player’s poor performance. Sometimes, it’s the attitude of a player that gets in the way of success. A bad attitude can be detrimental to any team and lead to poor performance by all involved parties. A bad attitude can even contribute to injuries and bad relationships between teammates.
A bad attitude can be the difference between a player being successful and failing. It can be hard to tell if a player has a bad attitude or not, especially if you’re not around them all the time. But there are a few ways to tell if someone has a bad attitude that you can use to determine whether or not they should be removed from your team.
Final Thoughts
Watching college basketball makes it easy to see the next superstars in the NBA. You can see their talent, skill, and athleticism. But there are many things that college players need to learn before they can be successful in the league. Some of these things are easy to teach, but others are much harder.
