One Year Left to Play-Chapter 84 - 26: I’m Taking My Talents to the NBA

It’s the first time overseas players came to the United States, finished high school, and directly participated in the draft!

Not considering that, just the high school student draft has put Zhang Hao through the same media baptism as Garnett—overestimating oneself!

Yes, even Garnett received such evaluations from the media.

These days, high school student draft is a mistake. Previously, there’s only the exception of Moses Malone; other players who successfully entered the NBA straight from high school ended up wasting their talent.

Fans and media hold this view because if a high school student can be picked by an NBA team, they are undoubtedly the most talented. At college, they would likely refine their skills smoothly and enter the NBA as a strong immediate asset; at least that’s the case.

But entering the NBA straight from high school means not being physically mature enough, lacking skills, no playing time, and ultimately wasting talent...

The majority opinion is unanimous—participating in the draft as a high school student is a wrong decision.

Despite positive evaluations, there are more negative ones.

These high school draft players are pioneers of their generation. If they succeed, they’ll pave the way for high school rookies of the next early century.

Announcing this decision has benefited Zhang Hao by increasing his name recognition.

By the next morning, Zhang Hao was having breakfast while reading the morning paper. Pierce, with another newspaper in hand, started a whole new day of chatter, this time criticizing the news looking down on Zhang Hao.

For instance, Boston TV’s comments were sharp yet reasonable: "Aix-Zhang originally had a bright future. If he spent a few years honing his skills at college, he could smoothly enter the NBA; he truly has great talent, but he chose an obviously wrong path..."

That counts as a mild comment; many media outlets directly entered mocking mode.

The media’s reaction was more intense than Zhang Hao anticipated, and public opinions easily swayed by media rhetoric. Since media said so, people naturally believed it; after all, high school draft seems unreliable with many high school talents fading away in the NCAA.

Does Zhang Hao regret the situation now?

He has no time for regrets. Yesterday afternoon, after Coach Scott Collins submitted his draft application to the NBA and it got approved, NBA updated the draft application status real-time to all teams, including contact info like addresses and phone numbers. Last night till now, Zhang Hao indeed received several calls from teams inviting him for training...

Perhaps it’s out of curiosity, or wide-netting, but now Zhang Hao barely has time to consider regrets. Upon announcing his NBA draft participation, he signaled to colleges that he won’t play college basketball and won’t take basketball scholarships.

The decision comes from youthful vigor, past months of college application experiences, and one more reason—more NBA games!

A year with over 80 games!

Since he’s decided, he must strive hard!

Being picked is not easy; he needs to carefully consider which teams to undergo training or consider which team might actually pick him. If there’s no invitation, he’ll proactively apply. He’s not bothered by anything like shamelessly attending without invitation; he aims to maximize the probability.

After breakfast, Zhang Hao began gathering information, with Aprile Clark and Pierce helping. They researched training times announced post lottery draw, checked recent draft situations of teams, team rosters, and summer expiry contracts...

Aprile Clark and Pierce never thought draft preparations needed this much; Garnett didn’t prepare as much during his draft.

But Zhang Hao is different; he has this awareness. Other high school draftees can’t match him in this regard unless they spent several years in college and have an agent to handle it.

But he doesn’t have an agent now, so he must do it himself.

These aren’t secret materials; just spending some time gets you the info, but Zhang Hao believes it’s helpful.

Gathering info, answering calls, making calls... Zhang Hao spent the next few days busy with these...

...

Zhang Hao’s NBA draft participation has not only lit him up in the United States sports circle but also spread back home!

Regarding another high school player joining the draft, the media is bound to stir up waves again; Garnett’s case has been discussed long enough; fans are tired of it. Now they can rehash the same topic, how great.

Consequently, many NBA teams were asked at routine press conferences about their interest in Zhang Hao, with some teams revealing they’ve already invited him for a workout.

Several major media outlets genuinely revised their draft prediction lists for Zhang Hao. It’s no trouble; adding a name becomes news worthy for selling papers again...

Thanks to his Adidas Training Camp performance, Zhang Hao ranked 58th in the draft ranking by American Cable TV Station, seen as possibly picked at the end of the second round, 29 teams, two rounds, 58th is the lowest.

Though multiple media outlets used derogatory terms when reporting Zhang Hao’s draft as a high schooler, the ranking given by American Cable TV Station isn’t the highest—it’s among the lowest.

ABC or the American Broadcasting Company ranked him 44th, while Sports Illustrated ranked him 37th. That position is Lakers’ second-round pick; they have only one pick this season. The highest ranking predicts being picked 28th first round by Utah Jazz.

Media predictions indicate Zhang Hao might be picked late second round or even first round, which seems normal to American basketball fans.

First, this year’s draft isn’t a draft peak year because Duncan as a sophomore still refused early NBA entry, turning a top draft year into a regular one; secondly, Zhang Hao showcased talent at Adidas Training Camp; lastly, a third of second-round picks are waived each year, with over half not getting guaranteed contracts.

The draft market is better than Zhang Hao expected, since he lacks an agent offering professional analysis, he planned for the worst case scenario.

Outstanding athletic ability combined with his Adidas Training Camp performance, physical condition, and high school feats have prompted teams to consider picking him at mid-second round to late first round, meaning his draft ratings match NCAA’s MOP.

But that’s all; these days, most teams in the lottery and even first rounds want immediate usable strength. If skills were at O’Neal, Duncan, Grant Hill entry levels, who would gamble on talent? Or do those levels not represent talent?

The term "older rookie" doesn’t exist now; on the contrary, going through college signifies reliability.

These opinions gave Zhang Hao some reassurance but he must plan consciously, target suitable teams for workouts, and show his best performance during trials.

Knowing he has second-round market standing comes from his McDonald’s Dunk Contest and Adidas Training Camp performances. Truly convincing teams to pick him depends on his workout displays.