What "opportunity" are you suggesting that he has? The opportunity to potentially get drafted in the back end of the second round? 6-5 guards with a long wing span are a dime a dozen now-a-days. I'd take the odds of him getting drafted closer to 25%.
Absolutely love the kid and the potential that he has. But the odds of having a long, sustained NBA career is not as high as a lot of players make it out to be, especially if you're drafted in the second round.
Getting as much publicity as possible, all while improving your game, in his case would be the three point shot should be his focus.
Damian Lillard, Jimmy Butler, Darren Collison, Draymond Green, JJ Reddick, Wesley Matthews, CJ McCollum just to name a few players that decided to stick around all four years. Playing four years in college isn't a death sentence. Give yourself the best opportunity to stick in the league, by developing your game to the fullest.
The opportunity of getting paid to play basketball. That's the opportunity.
the odds of any high end college player of having a long, sustained NBA career is not high. The odds of him making nearly as much money as he would with even one or two years of NBA in the first decade of another career is also very low. All I am saying is that if you have a chance to make a million dollars you do go for it, we are all fooling ourselves if we think we would pass up that opportunity. Take any roster, any team and you will find players that developed their games outside of college basketball. You are not a finished product at age 21 or even mid to late 20s for that matter. These guys work their asses off on the pro level to get better. Ayo seems to me to be somebody very willing to work.
If he stays can he get that money later? sure. Could he twist his knee again and blow it out this time and then miss a season and be comprised as an already not locked in 1st rounder? that could happen also.
The league is filled with 1yr, 2yr, 3yr and 4 yr players. I never said it was a death penalty but come on. Draymond, Butler, JJ Redick and the rest of your examples were not 5* recruits, All-Big freshman, 1st team all Big-10 by the end of their sophomore season.
He is a player on the cusp, he has every right and should take a chance. If doesn't work out then we've got a home for him. He has earned this and isn't stretching at all with his hopes.
and, 6-5 with long wingspans are not a dime a dozen, they are however what the NBA wants so that is where they are and Ayo is one of those.