Remembering that Draft Day Vibe
So, I remember hearing about this kid, Anfernee Simons, declaring for the draft. The first thing that struck me was, wait, isn’t he straight outta high school? Well, technically IMG Academy, which is like super-prep, but still, not the usual college route everyone takes. That felt different, kinda old school in a way, like the KG or Kobe days, even though the rules had changed.
My process back then wasn’t anything fancy. It was mostly catching snippets on sports shows, maybe scrolling through some forums or blogs I used to frequent. Didn’t have sophisticated tools or anything.
Here’s kinda how I followed it:
- Checked the main sports news sites regularly leading up to the draft.
- Watched some highlight reels that popped up. You know, the grainy ones usually.
- Talked about it with my buddies – lots of “who is this guy?” and “can he really make the jump?” kind of chat.
- On draft night itself, I was glued to the TV, just waiting to see where he’d land.
When the Blazers picked him, I honestly didn’t know what to think. It felt like a gamble. A high school kid, even a talented one, going in the first round? Portland already had Dame and CJ. Seemed like a project, a real long-term thing. My gut feeling was just pure curiosity. How’s this gonna play out? Is he gonna get buried on the bench or will they actually develop him?
It’s funny looking back. We see these kids drafted, and it’s just a name on a screen for a bit. But thinking about Simons reminds me how unpredictable the whole thing is. You scout, you analyze, but sometimes it just comes down to taking a chance and seeing if a kid’s got that dawg in him to figure it out at the pro level. It wasn’t some complex analysis I did, just watching and wondering like everyone else. Seeing his journey since then, well, that’s a whole other story, right? Just goes to show, sometimes the unconventional path works out. Makes following the draft kinda fun, never knowing who will pop.
