Here is a long anti-Wiggins post from a poster name Brooksfosho on over the RCF forum. I've tried to edit it down somewhat, but this to me is the argument against Wiggins. It is long and repetitive but worth a read.
"The 57 point game is something I've used in Wiggins' defense in the past. It's gratifying as a fan of the team who could end up with him to know that he's able to respond to scrutiny in such a way. He'll receive plenty of it in the NBA, surely. The Duke game in the 4th quarter alaso comes to mind, along with the 41 point game mentioned often, the highly-documented Randle matchup in AAU ball his Jr. year, and a few other collegiate games.....
It's the other 80% of his games throughout the years that draw concern - he doesn't always look for, or even see the point of attack, and often times when he does, he'll run himself directly into a problem. Looking back at some of his games at Huntington Prep his Sr. year (I've linked a number of them earlier in the thread, can re-link if anyone wants), it's mind-boggling how quickly a guy with such a physical advantage can find himself driving directly into 2-3 defenders without noticing the problem awaiting him beforehand.
The highlights of his college play don't show these things often, but they happened a number of times per game at that level as well. Last year's Hoop Summit is a prime example of Wiggins that comes to mind - solid scoring output, played a great game, had a few impressive displays of athleticism on the defensive end, yet made a number of poor decisions with the ball and left you generally underwhelmed against stiff competition based on the expectations you had prior to watching him.
Just as Embiid has work to do to maximize his skillset, and just as Jabari needs to work on his body, Wiggins needs to work on his game...and when he does, I don't doubt he could be a top-15 player in the league akin to Paul George, or maybe even slightly better. And yet, I've consistently failed to see the Kobe/MJ/T-Mac/LeBron comparisons, as gouri and other extreme supporters have suggested. I've re-watched his tape over and over and just can't see it. Those major scoring outbursts seem to be outliers.
If there's a belief that George, or even Kawhi, could reach Kobe/MJ/T-Mac/LeBron levels, I suppose the same train of thought could be applied to Wiggins. On the contrary, I'm under the impression that there's a major bridge between the two groups, and it's the very fact that Wiggins compares to Kawhi/George (and compares logically based on my own interpretation) that worries me when considering him with the #1 overall. I'm all for developing skill, learning from experience, etc. - of course that stuff is going to happen. And he'll be a damn good player. To extend that skillset beyond George-level, much less where he's at now, to project a championship-level, go-to scorer/creator/#1 option? That doesn't seem realistic in my eyes.
Nathan, I think it was, made a silly claim earlier; something along the lines of "Jabari and Wiggins', combined into one player, would make for a better prospect than Embiid." Again, an absurd comment, but I kind of get what he's saying. The players we compare Wiggins to and want him to be all had those other-worldly bodies and athletic gifts, just as Wiggins does, but they also possess(ed) an other-worldly skillet, feel for the game, and sense of arrogance that they're the best on the court at these very things at all times (and 99.99% of the time that arrogance was warranted). I hate the "confidence/killer instinct" argument against Wiggins as much as anyone, but it's hard to say, for as gifted that he is athletically, that he utilized everything he's been gifted at all times. Passivity is a better way to put it, but even that's far from a perfect description.
I fully expect Wiggins to go off every once in a while - he has that ability and then some. In the same light, and I've hit on this point in the past as well, Terrence Ross - a guy with tremendous athletic abilities, has come a long way with his jumper/handle, is a monster on the defensive end due to quickness/length @ the 2 spot, still only 23 years old - dropped 51 points this year. 51 points in the NBA; that's an amazing feat when you think about it, and he made it look fairly effortless. Granted, Terrence Ross doesn't possess the length/size of Wiggins, and stemming from that the "potential," nor was he as impactful as Wiggins in college. All of that is true.
But, like George and Kawhi (who are much better comparisons given they have the size/length of Wiggins to pair with the athleticism), theyre very similar in those regards, and I never expect Terrence Ross to be a perennial all-star or go-to option no matter how much he works on his game. He doesn't innately understand how to apply his skillset and athleticism well enough to be a force offensively; he doesn't have that freakish, deepy rooted skillset and feel for the game, so to speak. Nor does George, nor does Kawhi. Unless they're in a Spurs-like system (or uniform, and by which I wouldn't be shocked if Kawhi was the Spurs #1 option and SA somehow managed to be a great team), asking those guys to carry a Kobe or LeBron level load would significantly hurt their team, and they wouldn't be able to score or create for themselves/others as effectively as required. They're not players the opponent fears going for 40 points on 50%+ shooting on a nightly basis, despite their ability to do so at times. Fears or positive signs, depending on your take on him - I see a lot of the same in Wiggins as I do those guys.
Wiggins will be a monster once he develops his skillset, no doubt, but he's never showed the ability to flat-out dominate on a nightly basis. I understand the rationality that he fits alongside Kyrie/Dion best in the sense that he has potential to play without the ball (rather, play 2nd fiddle to Kyrie), has the potential to play both ends effectively, etc., but he doesn't possess those elite-level guard skills that you'd expect out of a guy being compared to Kobe/MJ/T-Mac; those guys walked into the league being among the most skilled players on the court, in the world for that matter, but like all young players, they needed to learn how to best apply those skills.
Wiggins isn't anywhere near there in the skill/feel department, and he'll have just as many hurdles to overcome in terms of applying his game to the NBA. It's what those guys were able to do when the defense cuts off strengths #1, 2, 3, and 4 that allow them to stand out among their peers. With Wiggins, for now, cutting off strength #1 leads him to problem at non-NBA levels. It's for that reason his ability to dominate the half-court comes into question as translates to the NBA. "Do we need another true #1 option" is another question. Personally, I'm all for drafting the best talent regardless of fit; with the right coach, fit will work itself out in time.
I guess it's just rough to bank on Wiggins panning out when it's almost guaranteed that Jabari will be, at worst, a career 20ppg scoring type at the next level. If there's one prediction I'm confident in making about this draft & the top players in it, it's that Jabari will be a dominant scorer. He's as offensively sound and as sure-fired to translate as NBA prospects come, and he's a rare breed in the sense that he already understands how to finesse his way to finding the best shot on both the perimeter and in the paint - something even LeBron only learned how to do just a couple of years ago.
....The holes in Winggins' game are larger and harder to correct than both Jabari and Embiid's, and his translation to stiffer levels of competition draws some major concerns. It's fair to say that Jabari's defensive translation causes similar worries, but somehow he was able to keep on par with Wiggins in defensive stats - among the most translatable and predictive of collegiate stats - as well as winning the rebounding battle by a substantial margin. Both have concerns on that end of the court; neither project to be horrid.
I hate commenting on Wiggins as I'm so high on Jabari and Embiid that it probably comes off like I'm against him in a way. That's not the case. I'd LOVE for him him to be the next Kobe/MJ. Realistically, I think it's laughable. A monster two-way player? **** yeah, just not nearly to the level of those guys. It's hard to guarantee what any prospect will become, but that I'm nearly confident of. A George-level player I am confident of, and if the rest of the prospects don't offer anything better, in Griffin's eyes, we should go for it.
...Wiggins fits in nicely himself as a 2nd option, spot-up shooter, etc. He's more than capable of doing some offensive damage. I'm not sold that he's the very best prospect.
