Thursday afternoon, Josh McRoberts announced his intention to pack up for the NBA. Is it a good move? Hard to say. Financially, if he is a first-round draft pick and careful with his money, it's a great move. We linked to a story a few years ago by an economist who analyzed how the draft worked out for players. For second-round picks, it was a crap shoot. For first-rounders, they tended to lose ground if they spent it freely and if they supported an entourage (surprise).
For people who are rational with money, five or six years at those sorts of salaries should set you up for life. So for McRoberts, he should be fine as long as he's smart.Basketball-wise? It's not as clear cut. He has serious skills, and serious weaknesses. He doesn't have a consistent shot, and he earned a tag of being soft. Fair or not, that's the rap.
And while it's way too early to say where he'll end up - that's so volatile with trades and even late injuries that no one could say - but NBADraft.net has him going to Philly at #19. Shavlik Randolph left Duke to some disbelief, including ours, but has established himself with the Sixers as a reliable and hardworking player. Supposedly part of the reason why he left was because he didn't want to compete with McRoberts, who was coming in as a freshman. Now McRoberts would have to beat Randolph out, presuming he has recovered from his ankle injury.
And secondly, for a guy who didn't always respond well to pressure at Duke, McRoberts will have to get used to it in a big way, particularly in a hostile environment like Philly, should he end up there.
Nonetheless, he has the goods, and if he can refine his game, he should have a productive career. We like his game, so we hope he can stick and improve.