A lot of fans and players use mock drafts as a guide to see where certain prospects are projected. They’re fun to check because there’s constant change weekly.
On the down side, mock drafts can corrupt the minds of players. For example, Kelly Oubre Jr. was a highly touted prospect out of high school, but he’s been a major disappointment thus far at Kansas. Kelly is having a hard time getting on the floor because he’s still trying to figure out Self’s system.
Despite Kelly’s early struggles, he’s still projected to be a lottery pick in next years NBA Draft, which could push him to leave, even if staying at Kansas another year would prepare him better.
This is why Self hates mock drafts.
“The mock drafts don’t mean anything,” Self said. “And I would tell the guy if he was here doing the mock drafts. They don’t mean anything. They’re ridiculous.”
I understand both sides of the spectrum. Mock drafts would annoy me as a collegiate head coach because it could cost me players that should probably stay at least two years, but at the same time, the people who make mock drafts are creating a living off of it.