Are Redick and Morrison as great as they’re made out to be?

Just to name a few:

Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Luol Deng, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson, Shaun Livingston, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams and J.R. Smith.

 

Of course, most of those guys would have completely moronic if they decided to stay in college this long, notably LeBron James. But had Luol Deng and Shaun Livingston stayed with Duke, I don’t think J.J. Redick would be as prolific, and ultimately as significant, as he is now. 

 

If all those players were still in college today, Redick and Morrison would be mere members of the pack, not the top two. Morrison especially because the competition he faces is not nearly as tough as what Redick or any of the other players faced. 

 

The Big East is by far the toughest this season, but it’s always a close call between them and the ACC. The only other team in the West Coast conference with a winning record in the conference is San Diego. The competition levels are not even comparable.

 

In the ACC, would Redick still have been the star if Chris Paul was still at Wake Forest? With Paul still at WFU, Marvin Williams at UNC and Chris Bosh at Georgia Tech, would Duke still be the dominant team in the conference?

 

I don’t mean, in any way, to belittle the accomplishments and talent of Redick and Morrison, but it’s just interesting how a player’s significance can be greatly determined by their opponents, not their individual talent.