Three members of the All-Big Ten first team entered the NBA draft.
Nik Stauskas went No. 8 to the Kings.
Gary Harris went No. 19 to the Nuggets (via the Bulls).
And Devyn Marble went No. 56 to the Magic.
Stauskas and Harris were better than Marble in college, but the difference wasn’t that great.
Their draft stocks varied so much because Stauskas (Michigan) and Harris (Michigan State) each spent just two years in college, leaving them with higher perceived upsides. Marble, on the other hand, played four years at Iowa, creating the impression too much of his success was due to just being older than the opposition.
But, though Stauskas is 20 and Harris is 19, Marble is just 21 – young for a senior. He should have gone higher. Maybe not guaranteed-contract-in-the-first-round higher, but at least higher in the second round.
Marble will get some guaranteed money, though.
Magic team release:Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel:
The contract will be for three seasons, according to an industry source familiar with the terms of the contract.
Marble’s rookie season will be fully guaranteed.
His second and third seasons are non-guaranteed
Marble is half Orlando’s return in the Arron Afflalo trade. So, there’s a little pressure on him and Evan Fournier, the other piece the Nuggets sent, to prove the Magic didn’t get hosed as badly in the deal as everyone thinks.
But just because I believe Marble slipped too far in the draft doesn’t mean he’ll accomplish that. Most second rounders, even those picked in the high 30s, don’t make significant NBA contributions.
Coming in behind Victor Oladipo, Fournier and Ben Gordon and Doron Lamb, Marble will have a tough time cracking the rotation. But at least he has his NBA money.
