luka-doncic-forefront-atlanta-hawks-3rd-overall
Regardless of how he does in the NBA, Luca Doncic is Exhibit A to illustrate the stupidity of how the U.S. nurtures its top athletes. Doncic has been playing professional basketball since he was 13 years old.
Had he been born in, say, Minneapolis, with the same talent, he would have been playing for an 8th grade team at that time, then four years of high school - being the best high school player in the universe - then a year or two of college before he could be considered for the NBA draft. His development would have been so retarded by the System that there is no guarantee that he would EVER be NBA material, having gone through so many years with minimal real competition.
Because in Europe, THEY DON'T HAVE SCHOOL SPORTS! They have club sports, and you play according to your SKILL LEVEL, and not your chronological age. They also have boarding schools where only the best kids are trained and taught to optimize their talent against other top opposition.
Hence, in the U.S., the best 12-year-old soccer player in the country is playing against other 12 year olds - never being challenged, and only marginally improving year after year. Same for tennis, hockey, baseball, and so on. We are really stupid about developing our top athletes.
In basketball, it is a little bit different because of the ubiquitous presence of "playground" ball, where the best players dominate, regardless of age, so you do have young outstanding basketball players playing against adults in playgrounds and some recreational programs.
Regardless of how he does in the NBA, Luca Doncic is Exhibit A to illustrate the stupidity of how the U.S. nurtures its top athletes. Doncic has been playing professional basketball since he was 13 years old.
Had he been born in, say, Minneapolis, with the same talent, he would have been playing for an 8th grade team at that time, then four years of high school - being the best high school player in the universe - then a year or two of college before he could be considered for the NBA draft. His development would have been so retarded by the System that there is no guarantee that he would EVER be NBA material, having gone through so many years with minimal real competition.
Because in Europe, THEY DON'T HAVE SCHOOL SPORTS! They have club sports, and you play according to your SKILL LEVEL, and not your chronological age. They also have boarding schools where only the best kids are trained and taught to optimize their talent against other top opposition.
Hence, in the U.S., the best 12-year-old soccer player in the country is playing against other 12 year olds - never being challenged, and only marginally improving year after year. Same for tennis, hockey, baseball, and so on. We are really stupid about developing our top athletes.
In basketball, it is a little bit different because of the ubiquitous presence of "playground" ball, where the best players dominate, regardless of age, so you do have young outstanding basketball players playing against adults in playgrounds and some recreational programs.
