There are now less than two weeks until the lottery, so for the next two draft profiles we will take a look at two of the guys that make the lottery so crucial. Every team is looking to get either the top pick, or if not the consolation of the second pick so they can either have Jabari Parker or Andrew Wiggins. Everyone seems to have a guy they prefer over the other, but each are tremendous athletes.
This week, we will first look at Parker, a freshman from Duke. Parker comes into the Association with a tremendous pedigree, having been on scouts’ radar since a young teenager in Chicago. He played in the same amateur system that produced Derek Rose, and of course has a year under his belt playing for Mike Krzyzewski.
Parker is a helluva athlete, standing at 6’8’’ and 235 pounds. His athletic ability translated to versatility at the collegiate level, as “Coach K” even used him as the man in the middle at center. In other words, he has great size for a small forward, the position he would play in the NBA. Once a player has a truly defined position at the professional level, it makes it easier for scouts and NBA officials to project him out because that is one less limitation.
Playing on the wing, Parker can use a combination of both his ability to drive to the basket, as well as his shooting stroke. He can score anywhere on the court, averaging 19 points per game as a freshman. Not afraid to hold on to the ball and be patient if he does not have a shot he wants, Parker is said to be extremely sound in fundamentals and have a high Basketball IQ.
Something that people are projecting out is Parker’s ability to be a mismatch on the wing. He can force matchups on him defensively against any type of defender as teams may have to “pick their poison” against him. One thing that excites scouts is that he has the ability to succeed in the post in the right matchup. Scouts have observed his tremendous footwork and touch, in addition to that high Basketball IQ, and think he can be scorer in the post as well.
One weakness is that people do not think he is in perfect shape, and it may be a factor to his sub-par defense. Parker is at best described as “unreliable” defensively. His first step isn’t too impressive, either. The optimism is that he may be able to improve all of this because of his high motor, respect for the game and high intelligence.
But the way he is now, even with those concerns, he still is considered the most NBA-ready prospect in the NBA Draft.
Pro Comparison: Carmelon Anthony
The Verdict: In more ways than one, Parker is the Carmelo Anthony of this draft. The situation is very similar to the 2003 draft, when teams were jockeying to take LeBron James, with Anthony as the consolation. The closer we get to the draft, this seems to be the case as well—Wiggins first, but Parker is a nice second-place prize. The Sixers are not looking to win an NBA Title next year. Brett Brown said at the end of the season that the Sixers will have another painful year next year, so there is no need to take one guy over the other just because he is more NBA-ready for 2014-15. If I have my choice, I’d take Wiggins first (check back next week to read why), but Parker is a nice second-place prize. I’d take him over anyone else if Wiggins is off the board.
