Quote:
Originally Posted by saphojunkie
I honestly think Marcus Smart did the right thing by coming back. He didn't cost himself more than a couple hundred grand. He'll still be a top 7 pick. And when he goes to the Kings, he won't feel like a Freshman. He'll have at least another year of confidence so he can actually lead. Wiggins has spent a year feeling like a Freshman. Next year he will as well. Sometimes it pays to have a couple years of distance between rookie years, so that your mentality is one of confidence and leadership.
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Perhaps, but Smart's game was completely picked apart this year (despite being one of the best players in the NCAA). While he became a better player in several areas, he also became a lightning rod (granted, some of this was his doing). There are now seemingly more questions about him now than if he had just come out in the first place. He's still going to go pretty high in the draft, but there was always the potential for a bigger drop than that.
If any one of those three (Wiggins, Embiid, Parker) choose to return, they're going to be under an even greater microscope than they were before. And if they don't improve their weaknesses, there will be more questions about whether they'll ever be able to. And that isn't even mentioning the injury risk. Considering the money at stake, I think it's in their best interest to take the shot while it's there because you never really know if they'll get the same shot again.