Social media impact vs. on-court impact, that was an interesting measuring stick going into Thursday’s NBA Draft. While not a game changer for when it came down to selection in a field limited to two rounds, it is always interesting to compare and contrast who has the loudest voice and where and how they fit in.
According to the extensive work done by MVP Index going into the Draft, one of the best matchups could end up being the one between the digitally advanced Phoenix Suns and Kentucky guard Devin Booker, who they took with the 13th overall pick. According to the attached infographic, Booker was the king tweeter of all prospects, with just over 3,000 tweets in just the past month. MVP Index’s combined ranking across three key social platforms (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) had Booker third overall, but given the fact that the two prospects ahead of him, fellow Wildcat guard Aaron Harrison and Duke’s Quinn Cook were undrafted, Booker bolts to the top of the engaged list, an asset the Suns head of marketing Hunter Lochmann will be sure to embrace and cultivate as their young star shapes up in Jeff Hornacek’s system.
Cook, who will go to the Las Vegas Summer League with the Oklahoma City Thunder, will bring the most Instagram followers with him, over 220,000, while Aaron Harrison, going to camp with the Charlotte Hornets, will take his large following across the board as he tries to make Steve Clifford’s club.
Top pick Karl-Anthony Towns, not overly engaged on social media, was not among the most prolific social prospects going into the Draft, but he was, and is, No. 1 among the draftees on Facebook in terms of number of fans and average engagement per post.
The most-mentioned prospect on Twitter heading into Thursday ended up in the top three on the board as well, with Duke’s Jahlil Okafor going to Philadelphia. The athletic center had just over 1,500 mentions over the last month as the buzz rose as to where he would end up.
Now that the team’s draft work is over, the business spin for agents begins, trying to land key strategic deals for their young crop of players. With the playing markets set, the business markers now come into play, and the engaged social base that some of those middle and later round, and undrafted players, could be a business game changer as we head toward the summer.
Also speaking of game changers, while the social impact of the players was worth a look, the folks at The University of Florida also put together an interesting infographic on how media social engagement has changed over the years. As we measured the buzz in and around the draft Thursday night, it was worth taking a look at how media engagement has changed over the years as well.
And on we go into the final weekend of June, hoops and all.
