JLei wrote:HeartBreakKid wrote:JLei wrote:
Parker is better right now. But I'm still taking Wiggins going forward. I'm just not passing up that body, that athleticism at that position when there are so many examples of players in his mold just keep making significant improvements year over year. He's 21.
At age 21
Demar Derozan 17-4-2
Jimmy Butler (senior in college)
Kawhi Leonard 12-6-2
Paul George 12-6-2
The athleticism and the body is similar to these guys. And honestly while his feel isn't amazing I really didn't get amazing feel for the game from the above players (maybe George) at 21 as well. Similar weaknesses at their respective ages (ball handling and consistent jumper). He's already a far advanced scorer than these guys at the same age. He's 21 and it's not like he hasn't gotten better as disappointing of a season/ lack of development (relative to expectation) he's had. He's a much better 3 pt shooter, his ball handling has improved and he's focused much more of his offense as a pick and roll ball handler. He was mostly a post up, isolation, cutter, spot up guy his first 2 years.
You continue developing these skills (improved shooting/ ball handling) and put him on even a Demar Derozan improvement clip and eventually he becomes unstoppable IMO. I'm just betting on this particular player/ body type because I've seen these 4 guys turn into absolute **** monsters and he's ahead of them in some respects.
The defense is a disaster but he is still good man to man and I believe in Thibs for that.
DeRozan and George are hardly superstars offensively.
Butler is not even applicable, he did not have NBA caliber training at the same age.
Wiggins does have better handle than Leonard at that age, but Leonard was a better shooter at the same age.
Anyway comparing him to Leonard and Butler seems odd, because those guys are widely acknowledged as exceptions in regards to growth and hard work. At that point, you could say any player could end up like Jimmy Butler.
My point is he's super young and his the body and make up of 4 of the top 25 and 3 of the top 15 players in the league. He has the same weaknesses that make him inefficient in the role he has now (much like a young Derozan vs. young Jimmy/ Kawhi/ George who got to develop on teams where they could play more off ball). And he's ahead of them on the growth curve and is more athletic.
It's not like he hasn't improved this year it's just disappointing it hasn't been more. The he's plateauing and peaked and he is what he is stuff (and what he is isn't very good) that some people are spouting is f ucking nonsense. He's 21! The stuff that he sucks at isn't unfixable and I've seen 4 examples of players tightening their handle and improving their jumpshot at a reasonable pace that turned players you didn't think would be allstar caliber offensive players at their ages into allstar caliber offensive players.
How is saying he won't be as good as Parker offensively the same as saying he will not improve? Parker will almost certainly be a better scorer than players like DeRozan and George (he probably already is a better scorer than they are). Tightening your handle dramatically is pretty hard, someone like Paul George has made strides and still doesn't have great handles.
You're basically just saying if someone like Jimmy Butler can be great than so can Andrew Wiggins...which seems incredibly unfair to Jimmy Butler. Andrew Wiggins is nothing like Leonard or Butler either, so I don't get why you would cite them. If you want to say that Wiggins is a better prospect than DeRozan then that is fair, but DeRozan isn't that great of a player either.
Wiggins will be an all-star, but I don't see anything to suggest he'll be one of the best scorers in the league.