Damain Lillard (#6 pick), Tim Duncan (#1 pick), J.J. Redick (#6 pick), David West (#8 pick), Draymond Green (#35 pick), Chandler Parsons (#38 pick), George Hill (#26 pick)
All stars who played 4 years in college. So anyone who says Heild won't be a all-star starter cause they played all 4 years is flat out prematurely stating opinions. Now I'm not saying Danny Ainge is gonna draft the kid at #3 because I don't see that happening. I see him dragging Dragon Bender at #3. All I'm saying is this kid Buddy Held has what it takes to be an all star in this league in a few years and I say 3 years. You can disagree with me all u want but why don't you just let time take its course instead of downing the kid before he even gets drafted.
There's a difference between saying Hield won't be an All-Star and saying he is less likely than other players of similar draft status to become an All-Star.
I haven't run the numbers, but if we look at players drafted in the top ten in the past ten years, will All-Star appearances per player be higher or lower for college seniors compared to the general population? Will it be higher than the number for international players? That's a project that someone could do if they feel like doing analysis.
To be completely honest, I think people are just throwing way too much emphasis onto age and historical records.
I watch Hield play, and I see pure dominance, and a guy who looks/moves/plays like a future NBA all star. When I look at his statistics, they do nothing to push me away from that perspective - they only reinforce it.
Now, Doug McDermott was also a senior, he was also a great shooter, and he also put up outstanding scoring numbers in his final year. But there was never a moment where I watched McDermott play and said "this guy looks like a future NBA all-star".
I can't explain it, but there is something about the way Hield plays and carries himself. He has that 'swagger' and the killer instinct. I see no fear and no hesitation in anything Hield does on the court - he doesn't care if he's wide open or if he has a guy coming straight for him, he will not hesitate for a moment to let that shot go. He reminds me a lot of Kobe and Dwyane Wade in that regard - he's one of those guys who was just built for the big moments.
Honestly, I don't know if there is any other guy in the top 6 or 8 of this draft class who I feel has "it" as much as Hield does. There are other guys with high intangibles, but Hield is just on a whole other level with that stuff.
So when I see the Hield's on-court swagger, and I see the confidence he has in himself, and I see the solid physical attributes and the things he can do on a court - I look at all of that as a package, and I see a guy who (in my eyes) has All-Star written all over him.
Now I obviously can't see the future, so there is no way for me to KNOW he is going to become that star. I could well be wrong about him, and if I do end up wrong I will graciously admit it - but my instinct just tells me that he is going to be a beast, and one of the (if not THE) biggest surprises of the draft.
It sounds crazy, but I think Simmons and Hield are the two guys in this draft who are most likely to become All-Stars.