Charles Barkley has never been reluctant to say what others do not want to. He was voicing his opinions in an age when there were no debates over players' readiness in the NBA.

In 1997, when teenage players like Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and Allen Iverson started changing the face of the game, Charles Barkley began worrying about how it would affect the quality of play.

In an interview on NBC, Barkley claimed that these young players needed some experience in college prior to coming into the league. It is a matter of business.

"That's the problem: They play basketball, but they don't know how to play the game," Barkley said in the NBC interview.

The quote has held for the years since then. Among the players who went from prep to pros at the time, Bryant, Garnett, and Tracy McGrady stood out as the exceptions. Others left the league having not fulfilled their potential, exactly because they missed the development that college brings.

Barkley reinforced his view even further in an ESPN interview he did in 2002.

Speaking about prospects who turned pro at 18 and 19, he said, "You got 18, 19, 20-year-old kids who think they're playing basketball. This is business. We are trying to promote a business to make it bigger and better. If we don't reel them in and try to let them know, 'Hey, this is not playground basketball. This is a big business,' it's bad for the fans."

This tension can also be observed ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft. Guys like Morez Johnson and Braylon Mullins, highly talented yet inexperienced, perfectly match the type of players Barkley was talking about.

Mullins himself has chosen to stay at UConn, doing precisely what Barkley called on guys like him to do for almost thirty years now.

Timing is an essential issue in this league. Judging by the experience of the past, players who took that extra year seriously have always been rewarded for their effort.

Three College Players Who Could Boost Their 2027 Draft Stock

The 2026 NBA Draft is right around the corner; however, the new batch of prospects is already worth watching.

Here are three players who were unable to see significant action last season but can definitely make a strong case for themselves by having outstanding senior years.

One player to keep an eye on is Miro Little from UC Santa Barbara. The 6'4" guard produced impressive numbers during the past year, scoring 11.9 points, grabbing 5.4 rebounds, distributing 4.6 assists, and stealing 1.3 steals balls per game while shooting 59.6% from close range and 82.9% from the free-throw line.

Abdi Bashir Jr., now at LSU, offers a distinct skill set. Last year at Kansas State, the 6-foot-7 guard had a 44.4% three-point percentage on 151 attempts with an 83.8% career free-throw percentage.

Braden Huff from Gonzaga may prove to be the most interesting player among these three. Before getting sidelined because of an injury in his junior season, the 6-foot-10 player was scoring 17.8 points per game with a 78.1% shooting percentage at the rim on 98 attempts.

Who among the following is most likely to hear his name called in 2027?

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta