No March Madness? For Those Headed to the N.B.A., That’s Just Fine.

In the five drafts before the coronavirus pandemic, an average of 9.6 of the 30 first-round picks did not play in the N.C.A.A. tournaments immediately preceding their selections. (In 2020, the N.B.A. still held its draft, but the N.C.A.A. canceled its men’s tournament.) An outlier was 2016, when 15 players did not compete in the college tournament, in part because seven of the men chosen in the first round came from international teams. Philadelphia took Simmons at No. 1 that year, after his college team, Louisiana State, failed to reach the N.C.A.A. tournament.

Fultz’s selection as the top pick came a year later, and Doncic’s, at No. 3 after playing for Real Madrid, in 2018.

“Talent is talent,” Del Negro said. “When you see a guy that can do certain things, that has an N.B.A. skill-set that can fit what you’re looking for and make your team talent level that much better, obviously you’re going to pinpoint the opportunities that are available.”

A few rough games, Del Negro and others said, will hardly derail a player’s N.B.A. ambitions, which might be good news for Cade Cunningham, the Oklahoma State star some analysts see as the top draft prospect in the tournament this year. He posted a weak first half in Oklahoma State’s first-round win over Liberty on Friday, though he finished with 15 points.

Of course, players and coaches said, a sterling tournament performance with millions of fans watching never hurts, either. Beyond boosting their professional prospects, memorable collegiate showings before big audiences can help players cultivate wider profiles and prominence that can invite lucrative sponsorships later.

Executives and players said they believed some people had inched up in drafts past because of stellar N.C.A.A. tournament outings.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/21/sports/ncaabasketball/march-madness-nba-draft.html