If there’s a big takeaway from a noteworthy week in the world of amateur and college basketball—and really, it’s not that big an inference whatsoever—it’s that, yes, young players would like to be paid for their talent. Projected top-five 2020 draft pick R.J. Hampton is heading to New Zealand instead of Kansas. A flood of underclassmen opted to remain in the 2019 draft, many of whom won’t be among the 60 draftees on June 20. Players are forgoing traditional pathways to jump-start their pro careers. It’s not the death of college basketball, but it’s quite clear the landscape is shifting.
R.J. Hampton, Amateurism and the Shifting Path to the NBA
