Jabbari Parker or Andrew Wiggins?

Before the start of this college basketball season, everybody had Andrew Wiggins as lock for number 1 spot in 2014 NBA Draft. But after seeing Jabbari in his first college games, the debate started. Who is better between these two outstanding freshman and who should be top draft pick. If they were playing different positions, people would be able to say that it depends on teams needs. But that’s not the case, both players are small forwards and if a team wants to draft SF, they will need to choose between Wiggins and Parker. Who should be No.1 Overall pick? Well, lets break down both players.

Jabbari Parker is an offensive juggernaut. Let’s just get that out of the way. The boy is the truth. His sweet jumpshot is there, his drives and finishing below the rim are there, he can get up sometimes and finish above the rim and he can create a shot for himself. He looks more NBA ready and he seems have polished skills. Has good rebounding potential and has great strength and size for NBA Small Forward – 6 feet 8 inches and 240 lbs. He started of hot as a member of Duke, averaging 23 points per game and 8 rebounds in first eight games, but has cooled of recently, in last 2 games he went 7-23 on field goals and it seems like he is not making good decisions. His defense is not something that he is known for. His effort on defensive side of the ball is inconsistent and he looks lost in Pick and Roll situations. Needs to improve his lateral movement. Has the physical tools to be good defender, but right now, he is not.

On the other hand, Wiggins is someone who is still very raw. His jumpshot is not there yet, and his handles can get better. But Andrew is athletic freak, can jump out of the gym, also has great physical tools and is really fast player. Reads the game very well, always makes good cuts and drives to the rim. One man fast break. Plays above the rim. Always brings everything hes got and has a reputation of hard worker and of a guy who is ready to accept the challenge and rise to the occasion. Solid rebounder and solid defender, always willing to accept toughest defensive challenges. He needs to work on his strength so he can be better low post defender. He also gets pushed around sometimes, so that’s another reason to put more muscles on his body.

After saying all that, who would I go with? Well, Wiggins. Let me tell you why. Even though Parker looks more NBA ready, he doesn’t have the potential that Wiggins has. He can become good shooter, he can become better ball handler. He can improve a lo. Not saying that Parker can’t get better, but I am not sure that he will become much better defender. His skills look polished. He will get more experience each and every year, he will understand the game better, but if we talk skill wise, I think he doesn’t have as much room for improvement as Andrew has and Andrew is much more athletic. If I was NBA GM, I would not want to draft rookie of the year, I would draft a guy who has the potential to be one of the top players in the league in 2017. I don’t need NBA ready guy, when a guy is just 19 years old. Let him work, let him improve.Bottom line: Both guys have a bright future in the NBA, but If I need to pick one, I would go for LeBron potential over Melo/Pierce like potential.