why isn't he staying in college to work on his game?
Because he's a top 5 pick. Hopefully you see the difference between someone who has maxed out their draft position and someone who could improve theirs.
If you looked at our roster after 2013, C.J. had the possibility of improving his position a bit, but in reality, he was never going to be a top 10 pick. He is an outstanding college player and I'm grateful he came back to lead the team this year. If you look at Ennis, we flamed out at the end of the year and we didn't make it to the 2nd weekend of the tournament. He has lots that he could improve on, and he is not going to be a top 10 pick. Same with Grant.
With Ennis, he's never going to be an elite athlete, but he could be stronger and a more consistent shooter. He is taking more risk in coming back than Grant, but being a cerebral type of player, I think he probably sees that he could get better, that this is a deep draft, and we could make a better post-season run, improving his draft stock. Marcus Smart, for comparison purposes, is/was a better athlete, and was looked at as a top 10 pick last year. He should have left.
Now, turning to Grant, his basketball skills are just not there yet. He needs another move aside from his spin move, and he needs to be a better jump shooter. He also has some room to fill out in the shoulders and improve on his already-impressive athleticism. Grant is not a top 10 pick, but he clearly could be next year. Ennis may never be a top 10 pick. Grant isn't going to hurt his draft stock by coming back, because he's not in the lottery this year, but could be next year.
For those who talk about the risk of injuries, C.J. already had an ACL in high school, and he still became a college all-american. The
FIRST ACL injury is not the career-ender anymore, especially when kids are young and fit. They heal very well from the first one. It's the 2nd or 3rd surgeries that mark a physical decline in an athlete's ability.
