Skip Bayless warns NBA teams to stop drafting one group of players, ‘They’re gonna bust…’

Skip Bayless says NBA teams must stop drafting 7’0+ American centers

Skip Bayless was a guest on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast, where he talked about the role of American players above 7’0 in the NBA.

He believes that teams shouldn’t risk their strategy by drafting American centers above 7’0, as they won’t deliver on expectations. He cited Luke Kornet as the best example, noting that he’s a decent player at best.

“Don’t draft American 7-footers in the lottery, they’re gonna bust on you. Luke Kornet is not a bust. He’s decent, he’s reasonable…”

While Bayless isn’t providing more examples to prove his point, he does make some strong points. When was the last American 7’0+ player in the NBA draft lottery a success?

The last big American 7-footer to be selected in the lottery to be a massive success was Dereck Lively II, and even he isn’t considered an All-Star caliber player.

Derik Queen and Donovan Clingan seem to have bright futures, but it remains to be seen whether they will be the exceptions to Bayless’ rules or not.

European centers better equipped to find success in the NBA

There is a big reason that European centers have dominated the NBA over the last decade. The style of play in Europe forces players to develop their fundamentals, while also adding to their offensive range.

In the mid-2010s, players like Rudy Gobert, Marc Gasol, and Nikola Jokic, rose to prominence for their versatility.

Gobert might be a more traditional center, but players like Gasol and Jokic showed that big men can be threats on the perimeter as well as the paint.

This quality has been somewhat missing in the development plan for centers in the United States, which has caused there to be a gulf in quality.