Jabari Parker will be the best player in the 2014 Draft

[Durins Baynes]

draftexpress is pretty bad a lot of the time to be honest, and I've said so. Here's a more accurate summary of their weaknesses on nbadraft.net
First Adam Morrison:

Weaknesses: Not especially gifted athletically ... Lacks great foot speed getting out into transition ... Runs decent, but needs a head of steam ...Better hand speed than foot speed ... Leaping ability is average ... Plays hard on defense but lacks great lateral quickness ... Lack of a great first step will make it harder to get shots off against superior athletes ...

v.s

Weaknesses: While Parker is a good all-around athlete, he won't be much of a stand-out as far as the NBA is concerned ... His first-step lacks the explosion of some of the other elite-level prospects he's often compared to, and he won't be labeled by many as a "high flyer" either ... If he works hard on his strength and conditioning, he should be able to maximize his potential athletically as he grows into his height, but even for a player with a reputation like Parker, this is still an “if” ... Parker's outside shot can be inconsistent, though at only 16 years of age, this is a common issue, and can be rectified with practice and experience ... He's drawn comparisons to players like Paul Pierce and Carmelo Anthony, and those kinds of expectations can weigh heavily on younger players ...

So while any player can bust, and Jabari could indeed blow up in people's faces, the assessment of their athleticism, etc, was very different prior to being drafted. Notice btw that the Jabari Parker weaknesses are 2 years old, and some of those aren't even true any more.

[fredericklove]

Here is what was said about Adam Morrison during a pre-draft workout, a guy who was certainly less athletic than Jabari Parker, but whose career (or lack there of) should be a warning for anyone who thinks that a player with less than great athleticism will somehow become a transcendant player because of his skill level and leadership qualities:

"Morrison started most of the competitive 1 on 1 possessions from behind the college 3-point line, and used an incredibly wide array of offensive moves to put the ball in the basket nearly every time. His ball-handling skills are phenomenal and he possesses a wonderful arsenal of shot-fakes, jab-steps, hesitation moves, change of speeds and other crafty moves that made him the toughest player to defend in college basketball throughout his career. He mixed up his mid-range game with plenty of slashing, taking the ball strong to the rim and finishing with either a dunk, or a pretty floater or finger roll. When Trim would deny him the angle to the basket, Morrison would calmly and quickly pull-up off the dribble for an incredibly difficult fadeaway shot off one foot. The type of crazy floaters from 14 feet out on the baseline, one handed step-throughs off one foot from 18 feet and other ludicrous moves are things that would get most NBA players benched immediately, but these are things that Morrison practices everyday until he’s reached perfection and made it an art form. Those are shots he’s made throughout his career and he knows exactly what he’s doing when he’s taking and making them. His footwork and touch are off the charts and he can release the ball with consistency from a half dozen or more different release points, which again makes him a nightmare to defend."

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz2hSIjW5wd
http://www.draftexpress.com

Well, here's a guy w/o "great" athleticism who plays at a high level due to his skillset.

He has as complete a game as you’ll find from an NBA swingman, being highly effective shooting the ball, slashing to the basket, posting up inside, getting to the free throw, and utilizing his outstanding mid-range game to do everything else in between. Paul has great strength to compliment his outstanding ball-handling skills and footwork. He creates his own shot beautifully from the perimeter, and loves to exploit a crafty step-back pull-up jumper that has become his signature move. He does not have a great first step, nor is he all that explosive around the rim, but he more than makes up for that with his excellent combination of smarts, instincts, touch, and skill—allowing him to often just throw the ball into the hoop in tough situations when all else fails. He’s a terrific shooter who has consistently improved his 3-point range to the point that he simply needs to be guarded closely at all times— a testament to the hard work he’s put in in the gym. He also is a very dangerous post-up threat, using his lower body extremely well to establish deep position in the paint and dig his way towards the basket, showing great footwork pivoting around the paint and the veteran savvy to draw fouls at an extremely high rate. Pierce is extremely aggressive slashing to the rim as well, usually being amongst the league leaders in free throw attempts per game year in and year out. He slashes into the paint with reckless abandon and excellent body control and finishes extremely well at the basket. He seems to have a knack for initiating contact and getting to the line. Pierce’s main downfall lies in the fact that his athleticism isn’t always quite enough to get him a good shot any time he wanted on a bad team that relied too heavily on him, causing him to display questionable shot-selection and settle for awkward fade-aways with a very high degree of difficulty.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz2hahnLGwW
http://www.draftexpress.com

[cksdayoff]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMyTaa-dYCE[/youtube]

check out the dunk at 5:49

Sixers getting either Wiggy or Jabari

[Durins Baynes]

Yeh, he is still looking pretty incredible out there.

[PowerBull]

way better athlet then giving credit for

[Dr Positivity]

Sort of a SF version of Bradley Beal. Obvious great feel and shooting/skill, but if you're not someone who consistently attacks the basket off the dribble, it's hard out there for a pimp. He has potential to be a great starter if not all-star but if talking about the #1 pick or a franchise player I'd stop short. Jabari's athleticism/explosiveness is not in Pierce and Carmelo's league so I don't buy that comparison.

[ddb]

there are teams that like to get cute on draft night. I could absolutely see a team drafting Exum over Parker. Personally I'm taking Parker. It's between Parker and Wiggins. Period.

[EddieJonesFan]

I really can't wait for the season to start.

[peachbucket]

I mean anybody that questions his athleticism after watching that Duke intra squad video doesn't know what they are talking about. He may not have a 40 inch vertical, but he is very quick for a guy his size....a completely different class of athlete than Adam Morrison.

[noobcake]

I mean anybody that questions his athleticism after watching that Duke intra squad video doesn't know what they are talking about. He may not have a 40 inch vertical, but he is very quick for a guy his size....a completely different class of athlete than Adam Morrison.

Tony Parker, Paul Pierce, Kyrie Irving are athletic as **** with weaving to the basket. Can they jump as high as Westbrook or Rose? Nope, but are just as effective.

[EddieJonesFan]

What was Pierce's athleticism like back in his college/early career days?

[cksdayoff]

from what I remember from the 98 draft, people didn't talk about Pierce's athleticism because it wasn't a strong point.

[NO-KG-AI]

I don't remember in college much, but Pierce's quickness and size combo has always been impressive, which is why he was effective getting to the foul line so much when he was young (on top of being a tough SOB). Don't think Jabari has nearly that kind of first step to be honest.

[ManualRam]

in terms of what made pierce special, his quickness and explosiveness were near the bottom of his list of attributes. what made him special was his skill, strength, fearlessness and deception. he had all the ball skills. he was an underrated shooter who knew how to create space for his shots that he could get off accurately from different angles. he had his patented step backs, spin moves into jumpers, jumpers from triple threat, fades from everywhere on the floor etc. he was a solid playmaker too getting around 4-4.5 asts at his peak. he knew how to change speeds to keep his defender off balance. he had the strength to carry his defenders on his hip and into the paint as well as the footwork to navigate in traffic. he knew how to use his strength and frame to post up, get off shots through contact and hold his position anywhere. he had the fakes: the shot fake, jab step, eyebrow fake. because he was a good shooter who could raise up at any moment, defenders had to play him honestly, which left them susceptible to power drives. pp was also unflappable, defenders couldn't speed him up and he relished big shots and moments. he wasn't some athletic marvel by NBA standards. pp had a perfect combination of new school iso and old man game.

[mbn23]

Thus will definitely be not only an interesting year, bothin the NBA but also the collegiate level as well. As well as the draft lottery thus year with so many teams not going to be coached 100% and of course he draft itself. It will be interesting to see where the die roll this time next year.

[peachbucket]

in terms of what made pierce special, his quickness and explosiveness were near the bottom of his list of attributes. what made him special was his skill, strength, fearlessness and deception. he had all the ball skills. he was an underrated shooter who knew how to create space for his shots that he could get off accurately from different angles. he had his patented step backs, spin moves into jumpers, jumpers from triple threat, fades from everywhere on the floor etc. he was a solid playmaker too getting around 4-4.5 asts at his peak. he knew how to change speeds to keep his defender off balance. he had the strength to carry his defenders on his hip and into the paint as well as the footwork to navigate in traffic. he knew how to use his strength and frame to post up, get off shots through contact and hold his position anywhere. he had the fakes: the shot fake, jab step, eyebrow fake. because he was a good shooter who could raise up at any moment, defenders had to play him honestly, which left them susceptible to power drives. pp was also unflappable, defenders couldn't speed him up and he relished big shots and moments. he wasn't some athletic marvel by NBA standards. pp had a perfect combination of new school iso and old man game.

Thank you MR.

Pierces defining physical attribute was his strength and power, especially in his lower body, not his quickness or athleticism which were never exceptional. His diverse skillset and heart were what made him a future HOF'er.

[No-Man]

Jabari reminds me a lot to TMac, specially late TMac with not a crazy athleticism but really good still.

Jabari could play SG/SF/PF in the NBA, crazy.

[noobcake]

Nice play in his first semi-official (exhibition) game.

http://youtu.be/sl1ihL8Cyi8?t=1m

[thamadkant]

Jabari reminds me a lot to TMac, specially late TMac with not a crazy athleticism but really good still.

Jabari could play SG/SF/PF in the NBA, crazy.

So the scrubby TMac? Hehe

I think a taller Pierce...

[SixerFever215]

The more I see Parker the more I like him before seeing the Duke highlights I thought Jabari was an undersized 4 I was wrong. He has enough skill to be a NBA 3 alot more athletic then people give him credit for too. Reminds me alot of Carmelo Anthony a big physical 3 with a smooth shot who's gonna attack the rim and post you up. He might be the safest pick in the draft. If he was a little more athletic and had crazy handle I think he would get way more hype.