Why Did 96% of NBA Draft Picks Fail? The Hidden Data Behind the Lakers-Jazz Trade Rumor

The Myth of Scoring as Talent

I watched Clutch Points’ graphic last week—18.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 62.8% true shooting rate for Collins—and heard whispers: Lakers and Jazz were closing a deal. But here’s what no one says aloud: We mistake output for insight.

This isn’t about a player becoming a star. It’s about who defines success.

The Algorithm That Replaces Intuition

NBA talent evaluation was built on scoring—easy metrics that cameras love. But real potential lives in spacing, decision-making under pressure, where volume doesn’t equal vision.

Collins’ numbers look like triumph—but they’re just signals in a system designed by finance, not football.

Who Owns the Narrative?

We applaud the scorer because we fear silence.

The Lakers-Jazz trade rumor? A distraction from deeper structures—the kind only data-literate voices hear when you stop scrolling.

I grew up bilingual: English on the court, Mandarin in my father’s voice teaching me that ‘true talent’ is not measured by points—but by refusal to be defined by them.

The Quiet Rebellion of Youth Development

There are no stars here—only systems failing silently.

Every number is a question: Who gets to define victory? And why do we let algorithms decide who stays? When will we stop confusing activity for identity?