NBA games are played by teams selected to be part of the basketball league. To play for these teams, you have to take part in a rigorous selection process called the draft.
This event, which is one of the most eagerly awaited by basketball fans around the world, was created to recruit new talent for the teams, reinforcing the importance of spreading basketball around the world.
The NBA draft has various criteria and rules for selecting the best players for the teams. In this article, then, you’ll learn all about the event, what it is, how it works, what the rules are and much more!
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NBA Draft
- What it is;
- How it works;
- Draft lottery;
- Scouting;
- Combine;
- Selection process.
NBA Draft: what it is
As we mentioned above, the NBA draft is an event that takes place every year to recruit new players for the teams that are part of the league. The draft has different eligibility criteria, consisting of minimum age, education and more.
The NBA draft also includes selection orders, which take place according to the performance of each of the participating players, as well as a pre-recruiting process.
This process takes place with the help of a recruiter who watches college games and other tournaments to try and identify future talent. Now let’s find out how the NBA draft actually works.
NBA Draft: how it works
In the NBA draft, it all starts with the eligibility criteria. So here are the main rules to be able to compete for a spot:
- The candidate player must be at least 19 years old in the year in which the draft takes place;
- In addition, the player must have left high school a year ago. So he must wait at least 12 months after graduating from high school;
- Still on the subject of schooling, a university player who has completed at least four terms in the United States is automatically entitled to participate in the draft;
- If a player who is a candidate for the NBA draft is from outside the United States, he must be at least 22 years old during the year in which the event takes place;
- The international basketball player must also not have signed a professional contract to play in a non-U.S. league until at least one year after high school graduation.
NBA Draft: lottery
The NBA draft also features the draft lottery, an event held by the league itself to determine how the first picks will be selected. So basically, the lottery will reveal which teams will be able to choose the participating players.
The lottery counts on the participation of 14 teams that did not qualify for the playoffs in the previous season, and each receives a certain amount of numbers to participate in this lottery. This is defined by their performance during the regular season;
The draw is made with ping pong balls inside a lottery machine, and they are mixed up before being drawn. The lower the team’s performance, the more balls it receives and the more chances it has of achieving a good result in the draft draw
When the draft lottery shows which teams have been drawn, the rest of the teams that didn’t participate are chosen based on their performances in the previous season.
Then again, the team with the worst season is entitled to the first pick in the draft, thus following the order from worst to best.
This is only the first round of the draft lottery, and the second round takes place with the opposite performance of last season, giving more chances to all teams and reinforcing competitiveness
NBA Draft: scouting
The NBA draft has a process called scouting, which consists of players being observed by scouts and recruiters, who go to different types of games to look for potential new players.
In these tournaments, practices or college games, recruiters evaluate each player’s technical skills, analyzing their shooting, dribbling and attacking and defending, as well as other important issues such as ethics, leadership and intelligence.
Then, the players who attract the most attention are recruited for possible participation in the NBA draft, and if they pass, they can officially play in the competitions by being chosen by a team.
NBA Draft: match
The NBA draft also features a program called the draft combine, which brings athletes together for physical tests and specific training sessions. Basically, the players who have been selected to take part in the draft undergo various tests and interviews with team representatives.
The players taking part in the NBA draft combine are tested on running, agility, jumping, jumping range, shooting strength and much more. Psychological issues are also analyzed, assessing leadership, ability to work as a team, emotional intelligence and other important factors.
This allows them to sell themselves to teams and their coaches, earning them the chance to join a team and become part of the NBA. The draft combine also takes place every year and is one of the most anticipated events for basketball fans.
NBA Draft: selection process
Choosing which players will join the NBA is a task that requires a lot of analysis from the coaches and executives of each team. Before the draft itself, teams carry out intense evaluations of the candidate players, which happens through scouting and the combine.
Then, on draft day, the players showcase their skills and talents, and representatives from each team gather to make their picks in the order determined by the draft lottery.
Then the representative of each team announces their choice publicly and the players are formally presented to the media. It is also possible to make negotiations and exchanges of players in the future, which must be done with great caution so as not to disrupt the predetermined strategies of each team.
Draft da NBA
- What it is;
- How it works;
- Draft lottery;
- Scouting;
- Combine;
- Selection process.
Finally, the NBA draft is a very important event for teams, as it allows them to determine the next players to join their team, adding to their current squad and launching new talented players into the world of basketball.
If you enjoyed learning how the NBA draft works, keep checking back here for much more on basketball and other sports. Your comments are also very welcome!
