ST. LOUIS - Brad Beal is younger than Ben McLemore, Otto Porter and BJ Young but Beal is the only one of the four basketball stars from the state of Missouri who already has spent a year in the NBA. The other three are expected to be drafted Thursday night, with McLemore and Porter projected as top-five picks and Young as a second-rounder in most mock drafts.
Wherever they are drafted, Beal has some advice for their introduction to the NBA.
Continue to work
"There can be a time when you get complacent. You're thinking you're in the NBA and everything is going to be as good as gold when it's not."
Take care of your money. "Make sure you have the right financial guys around you because there's going to be people pulling on you asking for this and that. That cousin that you never met is going to come out of the woodwork. You have to be prepared."
Prepare for anything
"The draft is going to be nerve-wracking. Sitting at the table was probably the most nervous I've ever been. Your future is ahead of you, you're not sure where you're going to go, who's picking you, what number you're going to go, how much money you're going to be making. You're going to get picked by someone and you should definitely be happy to be in the situation you're in."
Have fun
"There's a lot of crazy madness going on but you have to realize your dream has come true. At the end of the day, it's the game you love. Always remember to have fun."
