Shortly before the 1997 NBA draft, Wake Forest coach Dave Odom told me Tim Duncan would be a far more accomplished pro than he was a college player.
Odom said Duncan’s teammates at Wake lacked the talent to exploit the extreme measures opponents took to contain Duncan. So Duncan’s court vision and playmaking were muted at the college level.
Duncan finished with five NBA championships and two MVP awards, so obviously Odom knew. His observation resonated again late Thursday night, as I watched Arizona center Deandre Ayton’s single college season end prematurely against Buffalo.
Buffalo sent constant double- and triple-teams at Ayton, who looks like a prohibitive favorite to be the No.