Andre Drummond, Shabazz Muhammad and the new CBA

Sam Joynt
July 28, 2011

With the expiration of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement on July 1, and negotiations stalled until August, many issues have been blamed for this lockout. One talking point in particular, however, could impact the careers of high school phenoms Andre Drummond and Shabazz Muhammad.

While not the central concern of either side, the age limit which currently rules players ineligible to declare for the NBA Draft until they are one year removed from their high school graduation, is a topic rife for discussion.

Executives representing the NBA owners would like to see the current system preserved, with some advocating that an increase to a minimum two years in the collegiate system would be beneficial to the NBA, the NCAA and the players in those systems. Naturally, the players’ union disagrees, believing that they should have the right to make their own decisions in regards to their future and, should a team be willing to employ them, that their potential not be restricted.

Many would like to see a compromise, with a current Rivals.com roundtable suggesting that a system similar to baseball would benefit the players, college basketball and the NBA. Players would be allowed to declare following their high school graduation, but any not signed to a contract (i.e. non-first-round picks) would have to spend two or three years in the college system before they could either join the team who owns their rights or declare for the draft once again after their sophomore season.

College basketball would be free of One-and-Dones, and the highest shelf talents would be allowed to begin their careers and develop their skills against the highest level of competition in the world.

Two high school players currently stand out above all others, and are perfect examples for why a new system should be considered.

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Andre Drummond (above right) and Shabazz Muhammad (above left) may have both been born in 1993, but they possess the skills and bodies to be dynamic NBA talents, enough so that Drummond is currently projected as the No.1 selection in what is 2012’s superbly deep entry draft, with Muhammad claiming the same distinction for the following year’s 2013 edition.

Drummond is a unique scenario, in that if he returns to St. Thomas Moore of Middleton, Connecticut for another season it will be as a fifth-year senior, thus making him eligible for the 2012 Draft regardless of whether he attends college or not.

Muhammad, on the other hand, will just be entering his senior season for Bishop German of Las Vegas this September, and under current rules would have to wait until the next year before declaring for the draft himself.

If these rules should change however, two high school players could be primed to go back-to-back in the first two selections for the first time since Tyson Chandler followed Kwame Brown did it in 2001. It’s a distinction made even more impressive by the fact that the 2012 Draft is already widely-considered as possibly the deepest draft ever.

Drummond is a beast of a prospect in the mould of a Dwight Howard or Amar’e Stoudemire type. Mike Anthony, who covers the University of Connecticut Huskies for the Hartford Courantdescribed him as simply “physically dominant”.

“When he packages together all of his skills, he’ll be unstoppable – as he already is, at times,” Anthony added.

At between 6’10” 251 pounds and 6’11” 285 pounds (reports vary), he is a manchild. Strong, agile, long and quick off his feet; he is already a beast on the interior who utilizes good timing and explosive leaping ability to block shots and rebound. His huge wingspan is anchored by a rock solid frame that led NBA Draft.net‘s Aran Smith to write that “he’s so naturally gifted that he can be a solid pro without putting in much work”.

A scary thought for current NBA pivots, especially considering that the director of his current AAU team (Connecticut Basketball Club), Ken Smith says that “he gets better all the time.”

At this stage, Drummond has three options. He could return to St. Thomas Moore for a post-graduate season and then attend college, return and then go straight to the NBA, or enrol directly into college and play this upcoming season.

On the latter, he told the Courant, there’s “no way that happens”, as he wants to stay in high school and believes that “developing, maturing, on and off the court, would help me”.

Smith stated that “a lot has been put on him, because he’s the biggest kid in the state and probably in the country. I would like to see him make the best decision for him and his family”.

Muhammad doesn’t share Drummond’s monster size, but as a 6’5″, 210-pound, shooting guard prospect he has also been referred to as a “man amongst boys” by NBADraft.net‘s Ian Powers. Muhammad is a natural scorer in every sense of the word. He is skilled, athletic and has elite level NBA speed. His combination of strength, intensity, and basketball IQ have led to comparisons with Kobe Bryant, and while it’s far too premature to make such a comparison, there is certainly some Bryant in his game.

The killer instinct he possesses is what stands out the most, and he uses it in all aspects of his play. He’s a strong rebounder and defender, a team leader both by example and vocally, and he is fearless attacking the basket. One thing about both he and Drummond is that neither is shy about putting their defender on a poster.

Following his junior campaign at Bishop German, Muhammad is already training with the best. He’s travelled to Los Angeles and worked out with young NBA stars including Kevin Durant, John Wall, and the reigning MVP Derrick Rose.

He told the Las Vegas Sun that he talks to John Wall “almost daily” via text messaging, and spoke on the wisdom imparted during his workouts

“They just say play hard. At the end of the day if you’re not doing that, everyone who says you’re so good could become your enemy. I just have to continue with what I’m doing, and go from there”.

Recently, from July 22-26, both Muhammad and Drummond were working on their games with their AAU squads at the Adidas Super 64 Tournament in Muhammad’s native Las Vegas.

Both had dominant first-day showings, with Drummond posting two 21-point outings against two highly ranked big men, including 7’0″ Isaiah Austin, who is widely-regarded as the second-ranked center prospect in their class.

He displayed a great ability to pass out of double teams, and finished all of his opportunities around the basket with power, including a monster facial on Austin. He also showed great clutch ability, and knocked down a close range jump shot to win the game as the clock expired.

Muhammad got off to a slow start with his hometown AAU team Dream Vision, scoring mostly in transition on easy buckets during the first half. He turned things up in the second though, hitting two threes and never looking back. He scored the ball in a variety of ways, and displayed great leadership in rallying his team to a come from behind win over a talented opponent.

As Powers summarized for NBADraft.net.

“He [Muhammad] finished with 38 points and was nothing short of spectacular. He scores at all three levels and can carry a team when he gets it going. He and Drummond have separated themselves from the rest of the pack in 2012.”

Later Powers would go on to tout Muhammad as “the most prolific scorer in the country” and the “best two-guard prospect and scorer at the high school level to come along in quite some time”.

While these two talents are undeniable, and could quite likely go one and two in next year’s draft if the rules were to change, at this stage it remains but a pipe dream.

Drummond could very well go No. 1 regardless due to his upper classman status, but unless things do change, Muhammad will likely be attending college in the fall of 2012, a reality that he says he’s going to begin focusing on in August, after the AAU season is over.

Right now his list of potential suitors includes powerhouses Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Texas, UCLA, Memphis, Texas A&M and his hometown UNLV Running Rebels.

It’s a list which will undoubtedly grow shorter as days pass, and an idea that could be rendered obsolete entirely long before he narrows it down if the issue gets addressed in the new collective bargaining agreement.

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The Author:

Sam Joynt