Two freshmen spent most of this season atop most NBA mock drafts: Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball. Fultz joined a Washington program that went 19-15 last year and 9-22 this year. UCLA was 15-17 last year, before Ball, then 31-5 this season. Those numbers look like they should matter. And the reasons they do and they don’t is the unsettled heart of the burning star that is the hype, hope and hesitance around Ball.
The numbers say Washington fell off this year, but the numbers are mum on the fact that UW lost two players in the first round of last year’s draft, Marquese Chriss and Dejounte Murray.