The introduction of NIL at the collegiate level has changed the NBA Draft in potentially irreversible ways. It’s taken time for those alterations to manifest, but the 2025 annual selection process is beginning to reveal how drastically the Association will be impacted—and how the Los Angeles Lakers have found themselves ahead of the curve.

According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, 106 players have entered the 2025 NBA Draft—the lowest number of early entrants since 2015.

It’s difficult to to evaluate this fact without acknowledging the impact of NIL. For those unfamiliar, NIL stands for Name, Image, and Likeness. The system has enabled college athletes to profit from those very elements of their individual presence, success, and, quite frankly, existence.

Many have debated whether NIL is beneficial to the institutions that long exclusively profited from their athletes’ success, but the bottom line is that players are now being paid for what they provide.

The results of that shift in the college landscape have included players realizing that it can be profitable to remain in school rather than declaring for the NBA Draft before they’re ready. Pre-draft evaluations can now be utilized to gauge how likely it is that a prospect is valued in a way that justifies the risk that comes with making the leap.

Thankfully for Los Angeles, Rob Pelinka and company have made a habit out of adding talent that most have overlooked.

NIL will require NBA teams to scout the unsung heroes—and the Lakers already thrive in that area

Los Angeles has made something of an art out of scouting and acquiring players who most overlooked. An argument could be made that the most recent example was Dalton Knecht, who fell to the Lakers at No. 17 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft because he was a 23-year-old incoming rookie.

Knecht went on to lead all Lakers reserves in points and three-point field goals made on both a per game and per-36 basis during his rookie season.

Los Angeles’ success has ranged beyond the first round, including the acquisition of undrafted free agents. That process arguably began when the Lakers added a former undrafted free agent and four-year college basketball player in 2017 by the name of Alex Caruso.

Caruso would go on to play a key defensive role as the Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship and has now earned two All-Defense honors during his career.

The current and shining example of Los Angeles’ success in drafting the players others chose to overlook is Austin Reaves. Reaves was a 23-year-old incoming rookie who spent five seasons at the collegiate level, splitting the time between Wichita State and Oklahoma.

Four years later, Reaves is widely regarded as one of the most promising up-and-coming talents in the NBA, boosted by his 2024-25 averages of 20.2 points and 5.8 assists per game.

Los Angeles has kicked itself for failing to lock up other players long-term, but still deserves credit for uncovering undrafted gems such as Jay Huff and Scotty Pippen Jr. in recent years. That success lends itself to the Lakers thriving in this new NBA environment.

Acing the NBA Draft now means knowing where to look off the beaten path—and few franchises are better at doing so than the Lakers.

While the recent talk of college athletics has centered around the upcoming House settlement and the changes coming with revenue sharing, former Alabama coach Nick Saban made a pretty strong point on Wednesday that we might not actually need a Presidential commission on NIL. 

Over the past few weeks, President Donald Trump has floated the idea of a commission to look into fixing the current state of college athletics, including the ability for athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness. Saban, who has voiced his concerns regarding NIL, has been one of the people whose names have been tied to leading the proposed commission. 

But it doesn’t sound like Saban is sold on the idea of a commission to help thwart some of the problems brought to light over the past few years. 

“First of all, I don’t know a lot about the commission. Secondly, I’m not sure we really need a commission,” Saban told ESPN’s Paul Finebaum on Wednesday. “I think that a lot of people know exactly what the issues are in college football and exactly what we need to do to fix them. The key to the drill is getting people together so we can move it forward.

“I’m not opposed to players making money, I don’t want anybody to think that. I just think the system that we (are using), the way it’s going right now, is not sustainable, and probably not in the best interest of the student-athletes across the board or the game itself. I think we need to protect the brand, and the competitive advantages and disadvantages that are being created right now, and I think we can fix all that. But I think we know how to do it, and not just me but a lot of people. We just have to get everybody together to do it.”

Nick Saban Provides Background On How This Conversation Started

These are some pretty strong comments from Saban, who added that bogging down folks with a potential commission might not be the best strategy. The former Alabama coach pointed to his meeting with Trump during the President’s commencement speech on May 1 in Tuscaloosa. 

“The way all this started [was] when President Trump spoke at the commencement at Alabama,” Saban said. “All my friends are saying, ‘College football is really messed up; let’s get together so we can figure out how to fix it.’ 

“So that’s how all this got started, I really don’t want to get into the implementation of what I would do. I think the first thing is everybody’s got a different state law, which creates advantages and disadvantages. And everybody is trying to create advantages. So we probably need an interstate commerce-type something that gets it all there. I don’t think it’s in the best interest of the players to necessarily be employees.”

Nick Saban on the set of of ESPN College GameDay. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images)

It was first reported by Yahoo Sports that Trump was looking at potential ways to help improve college athletics, and putting together a commission could be the best way to find solutions. There was also talk of the President signing an executive order that could create an avenue for lawmakers to tackle the ongoing subject. 

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey appeared reluctant to comment on a possible commission. 

“There’s plenty of commentary about this possible commission,” Sankey said. “I’m not going to overreact or react to what’s reported about commissions. I think there are a lot of wise people who can provide input.”

It certainly sounds like there’s a lot of pushback to putting this in the hands of a group of people tasked with coming up with ideas on how to “save” college athletics. 

Maybe we could just gather a few of the smartest people in college athletics and figure out a way to get out of this massive hole. 

Nick Saban might be retired from coaching, but he’s not finished with college football—not even close.

Just days after it was revealed that former President Donald Trump plans to create a new commission to “fix” college sports, Saban was named as a co-chair. You’d think that might come with some fanfare or at least a detailed plan. But Saban? He’s just as confused as the rest of us.

Speaking ahead of the Regions Traditions Pro-Am event in Birmingham, Alabama, the legendary former Alabama coach—and current ESPN College GameDay analyst—was asked about his role on the new commission. His response was about as blunt and honest as it can get.

“To be honest with you, I don’t really know much about this commission,” Saban said. “I don’t really know what the commission will do. I think we know what needs to be done, I just think we need to figure out who’s got the will to do it. I learned one thing about coaching all these years: when you get into a subject like this that’s very complex, it’s probably good not to talk about it off the cuff. So I’ll find out more about it, and if there’s something I can do to help college football be better, I’ll always be committed to do that. I was committed to do that as a coach, to help players be more successful in life, and I’d continue to do that same thing now.”

It doesn’t get much more direct than that. Saban is willing to help, sure—but it’s clear he wasn’t exactly looped in on the fine print before the announcement was made. That hasn’t stopped people from already weighing in on what this commission might do—or criticizing its existence altogether.

What This Commission Is Supposed to Do

According to what’s been reported so far, the new presidential commission is expected to take a deep dive into the chaos currently swirling around college athletics. The NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) era has cracked open the door to booster overreach, shady deals, and Wild West-style bidding wars for players. And that’s just scratching the surface.

Among the big issues the commission is expected to address:

• The frequency of player movement via the transfer portal
• The involvement of boosters and so-called NIL collectives
• Whether college athletes should be considered employees
• How Title IX would apply to any future revenue-sharing
• And even the makeup of conferences and television contracts

That’s a laundry list of complicated, hot-button topics that don’t exactly come with easy answers.

What Nick Saban Might Want to See Change

To be fair, Nick Saban has spent the last few years voicing concerns about where college football is headed. He’s been one of the loudest voices advocating for national NIL regulation. On ESPN and in front of Congress, he’s repeatedly made the case that the system needs structure—less chaos, more accountability.

So, assuming Saban ends up taking a more active role on this commission, what changes might he push for? Based on his recent comments and past positions, here are a few likely areas of focus:

1. NIL Oversight and Revenue Sharing – Saban has said many times that he supports players earning money—but not under the current system that rewards bidding wars more than merit. He’s been a fan of national guidelines, transparency, and even hinted at salary caps to level the playing field.
2. Tighter Transfer Portal Rules – The transfer portal has turned into a revolving door, with athletes hopping schools at a rate that leaves rosters in a constant state of flux.
3. Agent and Representative Regulation – One of the lesser-discussed areas that Saban has criticized is the role of unqualified agents representing players in NIL deals.

Saban’s not wrong to say it’s a complex issue—and it’s probably smart of him not to go off script before he’s had time to review the details. But let’s be real: when Nick Saban talks, the college football world listens, and it will be interesting to see what is accomplished — if anything — through this commission.

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