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Emoni Bates has already had somewhat of a storied career leading up to the NBA draft at the tender age of 19. When he was 16 and still in high school, Bates was touted by many as a generational talent who would light up the league in the same vein as LeBron (or, more recently, Victor Wembanyama).
This kind of hype can quickly become blinding, and unfortunately for Bates, he couldn't stay the course (at least until his second year in college). He finished his well-documented high school career on a high and became the first-ever sophomore to win the Gatorade National Player of the Year award. When he balls, he balls hard. Scoring was not his problem, though.
He made the somewhat unique choice to head to college at the peak of his powers, choosing Memphis at 17 years of age. Was he looking to enter the NBA draft early? Only he knows. Since that move, the hype around him slowly decreased, and his more disagreeable traits, like his shot selection and decision-making, started coming to the fore.
Emoni Bates was once a generational talent; he's hoping to reach that level again on NBA draft night
After his underwhelming first season with Memphis, the embattled wing transferred to Eastern Michigan, where he set out to renew his game, albeit on a smaller stage in the Mid-American Conference.
He went from averaging 9.7 points per game in his freshman year at Memphis to 19.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in his sophomore year at Eastern Michigan. His upside is still there, and with the NBA draft on the horizon, he couldn't have performed better.
There's no denying that Emoni Bates is a gifted and talented scorer. One needs only to look at some of his more explosive games in his sophomore year in college to see just how destructive a scorer he can be. However, this kind of skill has gotten the 6-foot-9 winger into trouble in the past, specifically in his freshman year at Memphis, because he has a habit of shooting more than he should and being a bit of a ball-stopper on offense.
Only time will tell whether his doubters have changed their tune about the young Bates after his sophomore year in college. There's still a lot to be desired in the wing, but he's definitely proven that he can be an elite scorer in the NBA.
As the 2023 NBA draft inches closer, some will be more inclined to believe that Bates goes in the first round. As for where the 19-year-old will actually land? We'll find out soon enough.
