COLUMN: Javon Small's lack of love from NBA draft predictions not a statement of his own abilities
MORGANTOWN — In a perfect world, former WVU point guard Javon Small would be in high demand these days.
His toughness, talent, experience and determination that was on display all of last season with the Mountaineers would seemingly make him a perfect candidate for the next level.
Alas, the NBA Draft — June 25-26 in Brooklyn, N.Y. — is about as far from a perfect world as sugar is to being a steady part of Tom Brady's diet.
And so Small is delegated to the ever-growing pool of college stars with limited NBA upside.
He is currently slotted as the No. 48 overall pick — 18th overall in the second round — according to ESPN.
The news there is that's actually an improvement for Small based on earlier mock drafts that had him going in the 50s or not being selected at all.
That improvement likely came after Small's showing at the NBA Draft Combine last month, in which he drained 46 consecutive 3-pointers from the corner (that's not a typo) during a shooting drill and then performed well during two team scrimmages.
In those scrimmages, Small combined for 13 points and 10 assists, while shooting 43% (3 of 7) from 3-point range.
So, why is Small not getting more love?
The answer to this falls more on the NBA Draft itself, or more to the point, how NBA teams approach the draft.
There are distinct differences between how an NFL team is built and how an NBA team is built — and we do not mean at all the difference in roster sizes — thus the approach to the draft in each league is distinctly different.
First off, NFL teams basically draft on needs, while NBA teams draft on a player's potential.
An NBA team may desperately need a point guard, but instead trades up for a power forward, because of that player's measurables, young age and his potential for what he could bring to the table three years down the road.
If NFL executives drafted that way, they're fired within a year. In the NBA, executives are applauded for their forward thinking and evaluation skills for being able to draft potential and not for immediate help.
And it leads to some awful picks. Kwame Brown and Michael Olowokandi, remember them? Markelle Fultz? He's actually still in the league, which is sort of a shock.
They were all former No. 1 overall picks, an indication the NBA Draft is not an exact science.
A player's youth is more prized than his skill set in the NBA, and Small will turn 23 in December.
Now, most of us would kill to be 23 again, but in the NBA Draft, 23-years old might as well be over the hill as crazy as that sounds.
Of the seven point guards ESPN predicts will go in the first round next week, six are under the age of 20.
The one who isn't, Florida's Walter Clayton Jr., just led the Gators to the national championship.
And he's predicted to go 29th overall, the next-to-last selection in the first round. That's how unconventional the NBA Draft is.
If it were the other way around — meaning NBA teams drafted for immediate help — the guess here is Small would be considered a much better prospect than the 48th overall pick.
The other thing about the NBA is there is no prized position like the quarterback in the NFL.
At one time, centers were the crowned jewels of NBA rosters, but those days are long gone.
Now, guys flow in and out of NBA games with no true positions.
LeBron James handles the ball and runs the offense for the L.A. Lakers, but he's no point guard.
Kevin Durant is 6-foot-11, but he's no center.
Nikola Jokic was one of two players in the NBA this season to average more than 10 assists per game, but he's certainly not a point guard.
There is less demand for a true point guard like Small, because most NBA teams already have four or five guys on the roster who can handle the ball and run the offense.
They're just not listed on the roster as a point guard.
What Small has going for him is everything we mentioned in the beginning.
He's got talent, a will to win and gritty toughness.
Problem is, those attributes don't really amount to anything on draft night, but can mean the world to NBA teams in the days and months after the draft.
Still, Small deserves a better draft experience. He likely won't get it.
That's not a judgement on Small's abilities, but rather one on how foolish NBA executives can be heading into the draft.
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