At some level in every of the final 5 games of the NBA Finals, Golden State deployed a lineup that featured four players whose fathers performed within the NBA. While eventual NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry boasts a well-documented basketball lineage by his father, Dell, it is a trait Curry shares with Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II from the Warriors’ championship roster.
Each of the four are second-generation professionals and examples of a pattern that will likely be on full show on the NBA‘s subsequent massive occasion after the Warriors’ championship parade on Monday. When NBA commissioner Adam Silver takes the stage at Barclays Center in New York on Thursday to announce the primary pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, it is a close to assure that he’ll be calling the identify of a player with a household with a high-level basketball historical past.
While there are not any ensures in basketball scouting – even prospects with nice familial legacies undergo accidents or meet different struggles – pedigree has emerged lately as a key element within the analysis of basketball expertise.
It’s no coincidence that six of the highest seven players on the CBS Sports NBA Draft Big Board have a guardian who performed within the NBA, WNBA or on the main school degree.
- Paolo Banchero (mom performed within the WNBA; father performed Division I college football)
- Chet Holmgren (father performed Division I basketball)
- Jabari Smith (father performed within the NBA)
- Jaden Ivey (mom performed within the WNBA; father performed within the NFL)
- Keegan Murray (father performed Division I basketball)
- AJ Griffin (father performed within the NBA)
Prospects with an NBA mindset
“It doesn’t just mean they’re coming in with a more polished skill set or advanced athletic gifts – they’re also coming in with a deeper understanding of what it takes to succeed in the NBA and the type of mindset it takes to achieve that success,” stated David Mincberg, the former director of scouting for the Memphis Grizzlies who most lately labored as an assistant basic manager for the Detroit Pistons.
On seven events within the final 35 years, groups have used a top-five draft choice on a player whose father was additionally drafted into the NBA. Four of these seven players went on to turn into All-Stars. Of the four (Andrew Wiggins, Danny Manning, Al Horford and Kevin Love) three are nonetheless active players. Two of the opposite three (Mike Bibby and Mike Dunleavy Jr.) loved great careers. The third, Jabari Parker, loved vital manufacturing early in his profession earlier than a unhealthy run with accidents and the evolving expectations of NBA power forwards slowed his manufacturing.
It’s a small pattern size, however the 57.1% hit charge on top-five picks changing into All-Stars if they’re the sons of former draft picks, compares favorably to the 39.1% All-Star charge for all different top-five picks from the 2006 by 2015 NBA Drafts. Anecdotally, although, the proof for household connections as a positive in prospect analysis is even stronger.
“If a guy’s got a pedigree, it’s like ‘OK, he understands how hard you have to work and he understands the level he’ll have to compete at on a nightly basis and why it’s important to develop the right habits, be a good teammate and be coachable player,'” Mincberg stated. “If he’s the son of someone who has played at a high level and has been under that type of scrutiny, he’s going to understand what the pressure of playing in the NBA looks like, the grind, the travel, all of it.”
Griffin has athletic household connections
As it pertains to the 2022 NBA Draft, nobody stands out for their athletic family greater than AJ Griffin. His father, Adrian Griffin, performed 9 NBA seasons, has coached within the league since 2008 and is presently an assistant for the Raptors. AJ’s brother Alan performed at Syracuse, his sister Aubrey performs for UConn’s storied program and his mom Audrey ran observe at Seton Hall.
While Banchero, Smith and Ivey are considered certain bets to be chosen within the prime half of the lottery, projections on Griffin range extra extensively. The sharpshooting wing from Duke is the player with the deepest parental ties to NBA basketball, however he additionally grasps the constraints of his lineage in figuring out his future.
“You’ve still got to put in the work,” he said after understanding for the Portland Trail Blazers this month. “You’ve still got to learn and do everything else that everyone does. You get an advantage of the wisdom and the knowledge, but you’ve still got to learn how to do it on your own, too.”
If Griffin slips over injury considerations or questions on his defense, the entrance workplace executives who move on him could wind up holding their breath, lest they meet the identical nightmares skilled by the entrance workplace executives who handed on Curry when he slipped to No. 7 within the 2009 NBA Draft.
“Me, along with every single person who’s ever worked in the NBA, when you miss on a player, you kick yourself over and over again,” Mincberg stated. “When you miss on a player and their dad was a great player, you feel even worse about it.”
Family ties assist in early evaluations
The NBA Draft is not the lone realm during which an athletic household performs a vital consider evaluating basketball prospects. In reality, 247Sports scouting director Adam Finkelstein believes it’s notably vital within the analysis of early-stage highschool prospects.
“It’s really counterintuitive evaluating young kids, because the best long-term prospects more often than not are the ones for who it hasn’t clicked physically yet,” Finkelstein stated. “I think knowing family pedigree is even more important for the younger prospects.”
So whereas having athletic mother and father is poised to play a notably vital role on the prime of the upcoming draft, its significance will not be diminishing anytime quickly within the collegiate or pro games.
There is a cause Class of 2023 guard DJ Wagner has been ranked at or close to the highest of his class over time. Yes, he’s supremely proficient and the son of former lottery pick Dajuan Wagner. But the lineage would not cease there.
DJ’s grandfather, Milt Wagner, is a Louisville basketball legend and longtime pro, which means DJ is on observe to probably turn into a third technology NBA draftee as early as 2024.
“Great athletes are unique and certainly rare,” Mincberg stated. “But when you get to the NBA, once you’re at that threshold it’s usually something mental or something with your mindset why you don’t make it. The importance of having an NBA mindset, it can’t be overemphasized. These guys are so impressive.”
Happy Father’s Day on draft evening
Fathers and sons who’ve been chosen within the NBA Draft because the widespread draft period started in 1966, in line with the NBA.
| Year | Drafted son | Drafted father (yr) |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Cole Anthony | Greg Anthony (1991) |
| 2020 | Nico Mannion | Pace Mannion (1983) |
| 2020 | KJ Martin | Kenyon Martin (2000) |
| 2019 | Bol Bol | Manute Bol (1985) |
| 2019 | Nicolas Claxton | Charles Claxton (1994) |
| 2018 | Gary Trent Jr. | Gary Trent (1995) |
| 2016 | Domantas Sabonis | Arvydas Sabonis (1986) |
| 2015 | Jerian Grant | Harvey Grant (1988) |
| 2015 | Joe Young | Michael Young (1984) |
| 2015 | Larry Nance Jr. | Larry Nance (1981) |
| 2015 | Justise Winslow | Rickie Winslow (1987) |
| 2014 | Andrew Wiggins | Mitchell Wiggins (1983) |
| 2014 | Jabari Parker | Sonny Parker (1976) |
| 2014 | Jerami Grant | Harvey Grant (1988) |
| 2014 | Glenn Robinson III | Glenn Robinson (1994) |
| 2014 | Devyn Marble | Roy Marble (1989) |
| 2013 | Tim Hardaway Jr. | Tim Hardaway (1989) |
| 2013 | Erik Murphy | Jay Murphy (1984) |
| 2013 | Glen Rice Jr. | Glen Rice (1989) |
| 2012 | Austin Rivers | Doc Rivers (1983) |
| 2012 | Jeffery Taylor | Jeff Taylor (1982) |
| 2011 | Nolan Smith | Derek Smith (1982) |
| 2011 | Klay Thompson | Mychal Thompson (1978) |
| 2010 | Xavier Henry | Carl Henry (1984) |
| 2010 | Andy Rautins | Leo Rautins (1983) |
| 2009 | A.J. Price | Tony Price (1979) |
| 2009 | Stephen Curry | Dell Curry (1986) |
| 2009 | Austin Daye | Darren Daye (1983) |
| 2009 | Gerald Henderson | Gerald Henderson (1978) |
| 2008 | Patrick Ewing Jr. | Patrick Ewing (1985) |
| 2008 | Kevin Love | Stan Love (1971) |
| 2007 | Al Horford | Tito Horford (1988) |
| 2007 | Taurean Green | Sidney Green (1983) |
| 2006 | Ronnie Brewer | Ron Brewer (1978) |
| 2005 | Sean May | Scott May (1976) |
| 2004 | Jackson Vroman | Brett Vroman (1978) |
| 2003 | Luke Walton | Bill Walton (1974) |
| 2003 | Brian Cook | Norm Cook (1976) |
| 2002 | Dajuan Wagner | Milt Wagner (1986) |
| 2002 | Mike Dunleavy Jr. | Mike Dunleavy (1976) |
| 1998 | Mike Bibby | Henry Bibby (1972) |
| 1996 | Kobe Bryant | Joe Bryant (1975) |
| 1994 | Jalen Rose | Jimmy Walker (1967) |
| 1992 | Byron Houston | Curtis Perry (1970) |
| 1988 | Danny Manning | Ed Manning (1967) |
