RJ Hampton playing overseas next year

[lotusland]

I think if Zion had spent the year playing in China he probably would still be the top pick, although it could have been more difficult to judge him against that competition and that far away. I very much doubt he would have been as famous and marketable coming out of the gate as he is after a year at Duke.

I think he’d be the most popular man in China which is a pretty sizable market for his brand. I loved Zion’s year at Duke but, for some reason, the idea of him playing in China is awesome.

[Neals384]

The decision to go this route makes a lot more sense now that I've read their reasoning. It was good of him to explain in detail that getting into college or struggling with the work wasn't a concern because that's exactly what I thought when I first read this headline. I figured the kid was struggling to make the grade, and didn't want that distraction in college. I mean, it makes sense, if you're only going to be in school for 8-9 months and getting to the NBA is your sole endgame, why burden yourself with meaningless classwork? There is the argument to be made about national exposure, but if you're good enough, the scouts will not forget about you.

Zion going to Duke increased his marketability and position for the draft, but if Zion had foregone Duke and played in China, we'd all still be wearing Shanghai Sharks Jersey's with "Williamson" on the back and drooling for him to get to the NBA. Fame and a lottery pick would've followed Zion regardless of where he landed after high school. That's an extreme example, but the point is, if you're good enough, the NBA will find you.

With all that said, I can still understand why this move isn't the right move for every high school senior in the one and done era. Some may fear living in another country, language and culture barriers, etc. I think some of them fear the unknown of how their game would translate to foreign leagues with slightly different rules/strategy, or if they're really even ready for the next level in any country. I think it shows extreme confidence in yourself to make this move vs. college or G-league.

ole Roy recruiting talking point?

[elvis14]

Idk. If Jack Salt is the typical New Zealand baller, RJ is going to get a ton of shots.

If Jack Salt is the typical NZ baller, you're right that RJ will get a ton of shots. Shot to the head, shot to the ribs, elbow to the...

[HereBeforeCoachK]

I think he’d be the most popular man in China which is a pretty sizable market for his brand. I loved Zion’s year at Duke but, for some reason, the idea of him playing in China is awesome.

Wow...the China market is not relevant here at all (regarding sports stars)...thus Yao Ming coming here from China. We didn't know Yao until he did that. Zion would've disappeared in the US for a year had he gone to China.

[lotusland]

Wow...the China market is not relevant here at all (regarding sports stars)...thus Yao Ming coming here from China. We didn't know Yao until he did that. Zion would've disappeared in the US for a year had he gone to China.

Yeah but Chinese buy a lot of merch. Idk if a year in China would have moved Zion ahead of RJ in the draft but, ultimately, that’s not going to determine how much money he makes on his NBA contracts. Zion’s going to sell himself in the NBA. Barring injury he’s going to be huge. He had a huge YouTube following pre-Duke. He would pick up what he gained at Duke after a couple months in the NBA by just being Zion on and off the court. Bringing the Chinese market with him would be huge. I’m really glad Zion played at Duke and I’m not an NBA guy anyway. I just think it would also have been fun to watch Zion mania in China. The kid is a phenom with or without Duke. I think Zion does far more marketing of his brand by just being Zion on and off the court than any marketing geniuses could accomplish.

[awhom111]

The interesting thing about him ending up with New Zealand out of all the teams in the NBL is that they share ownership with the people at Barstool Sports. Hampton has already been making the rounds on their media platforms and they are supposed to keep attempting to market him all season long.

This will be also be fascinating to watch from a playing time perspective. The team can still sign three foreign players besides Hampton (and in theory an Asian player if that rule holds, although no player signed under it has been an NBL level player yet). The team already has a decent scoring guard in Corey Webster and another New Zealand national point guard in Shane Ili. When Ferguson played his year in the league, it generally seemed like he got more playing time than he actually deserved and stayed in the starting lineup even though the other guards were playing better. Bowen came off the bench this season and was relatively solid in his minutes, playing about what was warranted based on performance.

[907bluedevils]

Anyone know the contract terms? I know they have a soft cap and his NBA buyout is 800k. My assumption for their short season he is getting around 500k?

[duke79]

Anyone know the contract terms? I know they have a soft cap and his NBA buyout is 800k. My assumption for their short season he is getting around 500k?

I probably would have skipped my freshman year in college for $500K too (and I'm sure my father would have supported me, especially if there was the likelihood of a much bigger payday in a year or two!).