NBA Makes Quick About-Face and Greenlights Scouts to Watch RJ Hampton Workout

Though we're weeks ahead of the NBA season opener...how can we put this...plenty of teams are a little more focused on the 2020 draft class, well ahead of time.

So far, there's no clear first overall pick from this class the way there was in last year's group, led prominently by Zion Williamson. Tougher still, two of the premier members of the class, RJ Hampton and LaMelo Ball, are playing overseas, their status obscured a bit due to the professional nature of their commitments.

The NBA briefly made it even more difficult for scouts to get a handle on these players' talents, preventing them from scouting practices with Hampton, Ball, and other semi-pros. However, that stance disappeared on Monday afternoon.

This is a quick turnaround for the NBA, who just hours before stated that scouts weren't allowed to observe these players' practices at all.

It's peculiar as to why this sudden change was made, but it could be due to the limited opportunities scouts will have to see Hampton this season, and the interest of fairness over everything. After all, is this really the right time to, in essence, be punishing players for avoiding the NCAA?

This is part of a growing trend of players and their families understanding how exploitative the NCAA is, and instead choosing to play abroad to prepare for the NBA. Thankfully, it doesn't seem like it'll count against these 18-year-olds.