High school wing Emoni Bates, a five-star recruit who is considered the top prospect in the 2022 class, announced today on ESPN’s SportsCenter that he has committed to Michigan State, writes Travis Branham of 247Sports.com.
Bates, a 6’8″ small forward who plays high school ball in Michigan, is still just 16 years old but is already considered one of the best NBA prospects in years — Branham suggests that Bates may be the most highly-regarded high school prospect since LeBron James.
Despite Bates’ commitment to Michigan State over Michigan, there’s no guarantee that he’ll eventually suit up for the Spartans. As Branham notes, the youngster has long been considered a good bet to go pro out of high school rather than spending a year in the NCAA.
It’s possible that by 2022, the NBA will have tweaked its rules to allow players to enter the draft right out of high school. Even if the league’s one-and-done rule is still in place in ’22, Bates could opt for the G League professional path. Top 2020 recruit Jalen Green is reportedly expected to earn over $1MM in salary, endorsements, and appearances in 2020/21 by going that route.
i swear they say the same thing about these guys every few years, heard about it with zion, heard about it with simmons even wiggins if i remember was getting crazy praise early
None of them had the polish and skill set he has, kid is gonna be KD 2.0 with a Westbrook mindset
Facts
Literally nothing in that comment is a fact. It’s his opinion. I’m not disagreeing with him, because I have never seen this kid play, but let’s not pretend that it is dogma either.
Don’t forget Greg Oden. His hype was probably higher than anyone since LeBron. Another one that was unfairly hyped was OJ Mayo.
But Zion wasn’t the one they were doing all the talking about. He wasn’t even the highest ranked recruit at Duke that year. RJ Barrett was the consensus #1 recruit that year. Zion only started getting all the hype after the Kentucky game.
I know people overhype HS players but this kid is different. Durant skills with the mamba mentality. Comes from a good family and works extremely hard. First soph to ever win national player of the year. I fully expect him to be the next generational player.
He’ll be the first and only player to be Gatorade player of the year 3 times
Black athletes are brainwashed, thinking that going to college(taking arts & crafts) for one year. Is more beneficial than starting their professional careers and earning a salary & having endorsements smh. When will they learn?
If you actually bothered to read the article, you would understand he hasn’t necessarily fully committed to the college route
This kid is gonna be insane
So Timberwolves?