People seem to be making a big deal out of a Trevon Duval tweet where in response to the NCAA rules change regarding players who aren’t drafted being able to return to school. Duval was not selected in either round of the 2018 NBA Draft and caught on as part of the Houston Rockets summer league team.
Wasn’t going back regardless 😴
— Trevon Duval (@DatGuy_Trey) August 9, 2018
This tweet was most likely in actuality to some twitter vitriol spewed by Duke fans at the thought of Duval perhaps returning if the rules changes were active when the freshman announced his intentions to enter the draft. Fans have a limited view of the situation. Duval’s intentions all along were to be at Duke for a season and learn all he could in that time. He was never going to return – coaches knew this. Fans generally operate under the purview of fandom – assuming that draft position in the only determining factor for choosing to end your eligibility. The draft is an opportunity but it’s by no means the singular path to a basketball career. The bigger story, to me, remains so-called fans who seem to forget or ignore the fact that these kids are trying to succeed. They owe you nothing. Certainly criticism of a player’s performance is a normal part of fandom and punditry but the attacks on character and the bitterness of some fans is shameful. Do better.
