Parker or Wiggins?

The burning question of the NBA draft. Which to choose?  Jabari Parker or AndrewWiggins? Why not Joel Embiid?

 

Breakdown of Joel Embiid

Embiid has the chance to be a star in the NBA. But, unlike Parker or Wiggins, he is not an immediate Franchise player. However, he may be the fit in Cleveland.

The Cavs already have their Franchise player in Kyrie Irving, and they may want to take Embiid so that Irving has a great center to work with. Needless to say, he is not the best available.

Jabari Parker has the chance to be the next Carmelo Anthony, with a better drive and Andrew Wiggins has the possibility to be a Kevin Durant with not as great a shot or even a Julius Erving replica (per Bleacher Report).

But Embiid is not the player that can step in and be the right away answer for a sunken ship. He can definitely develop into an All-star, but I don’t think he is ready to captain one of these top teams. The Cleveland Cavaliers already have what I think to be their leader in Kyrie Irving, so they might go Center instead of wing scorer, with Embiid.

Current Standing

Between Parker and Wiggins, Parker is the best player.

He is the most consistent among the two, with 19.2 PPG, compared to Wiggins 16.0. Wiggins really didn’t carry his team the way Parker did, but neither panned out in March Madness, which is a cause of concern, but not alarm.It is very difficult to win in the NCAA Tournament, no matter who you play.

Parker is also more mentally stable then Wiggins, who can tend to disappear at times, especially when it mattered most in the Round of 32 matchup against Stanford. At least, against Mercer, Parker went out shooting. Parker is the better scorer, has more versatility, offers less risk and is the better player. For right now, at least.

 

Outlook

Some people think that with Parker, we have seen what he has to offer, and with Wiggins, there is an immense potential that we haven’t seen yet.

Although this is partially true, Parker has not plateaued like some think. There were times when he made poor decisions, such as pulling up for a jumper rather than driving or passing it away. He can find improvement in his jump shot. He has to learn how to be a shutdown defender. As Parker becomes stronger he will become harder to stop when he gets in the paint. Believe it or not, Jabari’s game can greatly develop.

Wiggins is a bigger risk than taking Parker or Embiid.

An anonymous NBA Executive had some things to say about Wiggins, “He’s not a great ball handler, he’s not a great passer, he’s just an OK shooter. It’s nothing to get excited about.” (nba.com).

Andrew Wiggins was overhyped coming in to Kansas (as seen below) and is overhyped entering the draft. But the potential he has is the reason why he is overhyped.The athleticism and skill level portrayed during the 2013-14 season may lead the Cavs, or whoever ends up with the Number 1 pick on draft day to select Andrew. He has more to offer than Parker because he is the better athlete.

 

Decision

Now, who to choose? Based on this comparison, you might have your own opinion.

But when it comes down to it, these teams need an immediate answer with their franchise. They need a player to promote stability in their organization from the jump. Someone who will step in and become the answer.

And that player is Jabari Parker. Jabari Parker is a guaranteed 25 points and 10 rebounds a game player. That should make him the top choice because he is the most NBA ready of the two. Wiggins brings with him some uncertainty but a bright future, and Parker brings an immediate answer.