The 2018 CBA Draft finished on July 29 in Beijing as 14 out of 50 young men gained access to China’s top basketball league, a new record for the past four Drafts. Moreover, it was the first time, several teams that have never selected any one previously like Beijing Ducks and Sichuan Whales also chose to use their picks.

However, the positive changes were still not enough to make the CBA Draft less embarrassing because 10 out of 20 teams, which means half of the league, again chose to give up their picks. Meanwhile, several teams selected players they were recommended, which was not much different from giving up.

Only four teams used their two picks in the two rounds of selecting: Guangdong Tigers, Qingdao Double Star Eagle, Guangzhou Long Lions and Tianjin Gold Lion. Though a huge progress compared with only one team in 2017, it’s still awkward.

By contrast, Draft picks in NBA have already become the most valuable assets to teams. Every summer, rumors and news about which team will select who and deals involving picks can fill up a thick book.

What awaits the 14 rookies may not look good either. Taking the 11 young men in 2017 as an example, Chen Yingjun who was selected with No.1 pick played 23 games with only 10.2 points per game. No.2 selected Zhou Yixiang played 32 games with only 3.2 points per game. No.3 selected Reid Duncan Overbeck could only get 2.5 points on average in all the 12 games he played.

Consider them lucky since four of the players did not even play for one minute, according to Tencent Sports. The reason for such a situation when it comes to young players in CBA, whether they come from NBL, youth development teams or universities, the young players are just not ready for CBA-level competition.

Jiang Yuxing who was selected with No.1 pick in the 2018 CBA Draft was already a star player in NBL but, when asked about differences between the two leagues, he said that strength and power confrontations were totally different. Training in these areas has already become a priority on his to-do list.

Besides physical differences, new environments in professional teams have also posed new challenges for rookies. Having played as core members of their teams in the past, they will have to learn how to contribute to the team without the ball in their hands. If they cannot adapt themselves soon enough, they may have to try and figure out the solution on the bench.

However, the above is still no excuse for poor performance among young players. In NBA, the difference between the league and college games was even larger that in China but did not stop many like Jabari Parker and Donovan Mitchell from delivering outstanding performances in their first seasons. In essence, poor fundamental skills and lack of scientific training is the true problem of young basketball players in China.