Giannis Antetokounmpo vs Andrew Wiggins

[HeartBreakKid]

Two athletic phenoms who are 20 years old.

Who was better this season?

Who do you think will be better during their primes?

[Colbinii]

I haven't a clue how much impact Giannis had on the Bucks defense, so I won't comment on that.

On the offensive ball, Wiggins is doing things that I haven't seen from a rookie in a LONG time. I haven't seen a 20 year old guard with a post-game as good as Wiggins in my lifetime. His ability to draw fouls and get to the rim, considering his lack of mass, is quite astonishing. This leads me to believe that Wiggins can become a superstar offensive player while I just don't see Giannis ever being more than an all-star who has a limited offensive ceiling.

This year, I will give the nod to Giannis, assuming he is actually impacting the Bucks on defense.

Prime, I don't believe this will be a fair discussion, even by next year. Wiggins.

[The-Power]

This is an extremely interesting topic.

This season it's Giannis easily, though. Wiggins has bigger scoring role (23.8 vs. 20.9 PP100P) but Giannis has the clear edge in efficiency (55.8 vs. 51.7 TS%), is the better rebounder (though this was to be expected for positioning reasons alone), the better playmaker and definitely a superior defender at this point. His length combined with athleticism bothers opponents and his gained experience in the league helped him to use it more effectively by now while Wiggins showed promising signs but still lacks consistency and the impact Giannis has. Most advanced metrics as well as the eye test agree with this notion.

The more difficult question is about their respective future. I see Wiggins as the more natural scorer while Giannis seems to be the more versatile player going forward. His controlled attacking (he's rarely out of control and has a good feel for what happens around him, which enables him to react accordingly) is something I'm really looking forward to in terms of how good he can become in this regard. Wiggins, on the other hand, should be able to improve the use of his insane athleticism offensively as soon as the game slows down for him and he works on certain skills. Both should be impactful defenders for the future. I wouldn't be surprised about Wiggins being the more effective one-on-one defender against guards and some small forwards, but I am extremely intrigued by Giannis' potential as a help defender and also think he's going to be the more versatile defender.

I guess most people predict a better future for Wiggins at this point. I'm not so sure about this. Let me put it this way: I do believe Wiggins is going to be the more prolific scorer which allows him to be the first option on a good team while also having an impact on defense. I don't believe Giannis is going to be this kind of a scorer (albeit a good one), but I believe it's easier to build an offense around his skill set. The combination of either size or speed advantage depending on the match-up and his feel for the game is pretty rare. He's going to be a walking mismatch as soon as learns how to abuse smaller players in the post and how to use his speed against bigger guys consistently - he's already made progress in both aspects this season. Last year many users believed that most people are simply enthusiastic about his unique combination of body and style of play and predict a bright future based on his insane measurements alone. But the way he developed so far shows me that it's more and more likely for him to reach the high level many people expected, he's getting better and better in realizing what he can and can't do and how to beneficially use his natural gifts on the court.

I'm leaning towards Giannis at this point and I wouldn't be surprised if this topic remains one for a long time. I expect Giannis to be a player with a bigger impact on his team than his raw numbers suggest. Kind of like KG, for example. Wiggins, on the other hand, is more likely to put up more impressive boxscore numbers. For the record, I'm not saying he's going to be a guy with great raw stats and little impact. But I feel like he's going to get more attention compared to Giannis because of it although it doesn't fairly reflect their actual impact relative to each other.

Another interesting question could be: who has more trade value around the league at this point? Instinctively I'd say Wiggins but I can see some team which are - just like me - fascinated by Giannis' potential and actually prefer him as a player going forward for the reasons I mentioned above. It should be at least worth a discussion.

[H2tObes]

Wiggins looks like he will be a great scorer in the league for a long time. But Giannis has shown a much more well rounded game, with a quickly improving offensive game. You see a lot of flashes of him just being unfair, his midrange game is now a serious threat and its already helped his game a bunch. How well he has been playing since Knight was traded is extremely impressive for a 20 year old. 15/8/3 since then, with very good defense. No doubt Giannis has been better this season. He has also shown to be much better than Wiggins defensively so far, but I have no doubt that Wiggins will be a very good defender one day.

It depends how high you are on them, its really preference. I think Giannis has a much more well rounded game, I doubt Wiggins will ever come close to being as good of a passer as Giannis. Giannis is also will be a better rebounder, and Im confident he will be a very good scorer in the league as well. I'd be surprised if he isnt putting up 20 a game in 2 years. I think he is someone you build around. Being a Bucks fan I'd go Giannis obviously. This is a very interesting debate though and I'm looking forward to the arguments for both sides

Prime, I don't believe this will be a fair discussion, even by next year. Wiggins.

Dont agree with this at all. Giannis has an extremely high ceiling. If the Bucks perform well next season he will most likely be an all-star at age 21. Time will tell who is better in their prime

[Dcebucks11]

im a bucks fan and a big giannis homer but ill give the edge to wiggins, he's probably going to be competing for scoring titles... Guy looks like a natural scorer.. Giannis probably won't be and probably won't have to be if Jabari can stay healthy and be that no.1 option. I think Giannis can develop a well balanced game.. A mix of lamar odom and scottie pippen..

[Mattya]

Both great players but I'm going with Wiggins. Wiggins defense this year is better than what people have said, but he has practically no defenders or rim protection around him. Really good one on one defender and will get much better when he can match up physically with the bigger small forwards. His offense in a couple years is going to be amazing with what he has shown this year.

[Colbinii]

Wiggins looks like he will be a great scorer in the league for a long time. But Giannis has shown a much more well rounded game, with a quickly improving offensive game.

That he has. Nothing against Giannis, but he has been playing in a much worse conference, as well as playing on a much better team considering Minnesota has been playing LaVine at PG a majority of this season, a player most thought wouldn't even play this season. Factor in that the Wolves have been missing 3 of their best 4 players for nearly the entire season and it is no surprise Giannis has been so well-rounded.

You see a lot of flashes of him just being unfair, his midrange game is now a serious threat and its already helped his game a bunch. How well he has been playing since Knight was traded is extremely impressive for a 20 year old. 15/8/3 since then, with very good defense.

This is a certainty. 14/7/3 (Not sure where you are getting your rounding from ) Jason Kidd has been able to utilize Giannis to get everything out of him this season, but that isn't the case with WIggins. WIggins is still scratching the surface on what he can do, and once he has an actual NBA roster around him, I fully expect him to flourish to a all-star level, perhaps even next season.

No doubt Giannis has been better this season. He has also shown to be much better than Wiggins defensively so far, but I have no doubt that Wiggins will be a very good defender one day.

His defense is very special. Once Wiggins gets an NBA team around him and a system I expect him to become a great defender, but time will tell. He will lack the size to guard larger 3's and any 4's for the next half of a decade, but I expect him to become a defensive stopper on most PG/SG/SF for the next decade.

It depends how high you are on them, its really preference. I think Giannis has a much more well rounded game, I doubt Wiggins will ever come close to being as good of a passer as Giannis.

I agree, but I don't think he will half to. Even this season, on a talentless Wolves team, Wiggins put up 9.7 AST% to 11.6 TOV% compared to Giannis' 13 AST% to 15.6 TOV%. Obviously the Bucks don't have world beaters on offense so let's not take anything away from Giannis' higher AST% on a lower USG%.

Giannis is also will be a better rebounder, and Im confident he will be a very good scorer in the league as well.

Oh yeah. Giannis will always be a better rebounder, especially considering WIggins will be an ideal 2 in this league in my opinion. However, WIggins posted a higher ORBD% this season, which is more telling to how good of a rebounder you are relative to a more team stat like defensive rebounding. Will he ever be close to as good of a scorer as I see Wiggins? Not in my opinion, and this is one I don't think will be close. I see Wiggins as a legit #1 option on a title team in 3-4 years, while I have a hard time seeing Giannis being a second option on a title contender, but that could change.

I'd be surprised if he isnt putting up 20 a game in 2 years.

On poor efficiency, sure. 20 PPG on 50 TS% seems like a safe bet if he wanted 20 PPG, but I see somewhere in the 16-17 PPG on 55-58% being his PEAK, which isn't bad at all, considering his defense, rebounding, and potential passing.

I think he is someone you build around. Being a Bucks fan I'd go Giannis obviously. This is a very interesting debate though and I'm looking forward to the arguments for both sides

Giannis is a cornerstone, no doubt, but in my opinion, a different type of cornerstone. To me, Wiggins is a cornerstone that you just need to put in a couple of playmakers and defensive players and you have yourself a very competitive team come playoff time. With Giannis, you still need a #1 and another comparable scoring option, but you already have a defensive anchor and a solid playmaker.

Giannis has an extremely high ceiling. If the Bucks perform well next season he will most likely be an all-star at age 21. Time will tell who is better in their prime

The same is said for WIggins.

I probable overrate WIggins potential to be a great scorer, but his footwork and ability to score in the post, at this age, has me orgasmic. One thing is for sure, both of these players need to work on their 3 PT shots.

Comparing stats since the All-star Break

Giannis: 14.4/7.1/2.6/1.1/.9, 2.3 TOV, 47/15/76 shooting
Wiggins: 19.9/4.9/2.3/.6/.9, 2.5 TOV, 44/17/78 shooting

Giannis: 54 TS%, 48 eFG%, 4 oRB%, 11.5 TRB%, 12.6 AST%, 1.3 STL%, 2.9 BLK%, 14.9 TOV%
Wiggins: 53 TS%, 45 eFG%, 5.5 RB%, 7.1 TRB%, 10.9 AST%, 1.2 STL%, 1.2 BLK%, 11.7 TOV%

Looking at these, what makes you think Giannis is going to be a better passer, let alone much better passer, than Wiggins?

[Jaivl]

Both great players but I'm going with Wiggins. Wiggins defense this year is better than what people have said, but he has practically no defenders or rim protection around him.

I'm not sure, Minny's defense is 3 points/100 posessions better without Wiggins. At this point of time, I'm not sure if he's even the second best defensive player in that horrid defensive team (Rubio is very clearly the best defender on Minnesota, when he plays the defense goes from the easily worst in the NBA to #17). He has the potential, though.

[Prez]

Comparing stats since the All-star Break

Giannis: 14.4/7.1/2.6/1.1/.9, 2.3 TOV, 47/15/76 shooting
Wiggins: 19.9/4.9/2.3/.6/.9, 2.5 TOV, 44/17/78 shooting

Giannis: 54 TS%, 48 eFG%, 4 oRB%, 11.5 TRB%, 12.6 AST%, 1.3 STL%, 2.9 BLK%, 14.9 TOV%
Wiggins: 53 TS%, 45 eFG%, 5.5 RB%, 7.1 TRB%, 10.9 AST%, 1.2 STL%, 1.2 BLK%, 11.7 TOV%

Looking at these, what makes you think Giannis is going to be a better passer, let alone much better passer, than Wiggins?

It's something you have to watch to see, numbers =/= passing ability. Giannis has special vision for his size. The "7 foot PG" gimmick was dumb but he truly does have high point-forward potential, that's his game. Wiggins shows solid instincts as a passer but court vision was never a standout part of his game. You can't just look at numbers and make judgements on an aspect of the game that isn't totally quantifiable. Especially when their roles, their situations, are completely different. Giannis has nowhere near the freedom for the entirety of his passing ability to show up on the stat sheet.

[H2tObes]

You're underrating Giannis prospects as a scorer Colbinii. He's been shooting 50% from midrange for a while now, and should be ready to add a 3 pointer to his game by next season. I would guarantee Giannis puts up more than 16 ppg at his peak with good efficiency, he is a near 80% FT shooter and gets a lot of buckets off dunks. I could so so so easily see him putting up an efficient 16 ppg next season, let alone 6 years in the future when he is at his peak!

Giannis doesnt have the ball in his hands as much as Wiggins. Giannis is a piece of the puzzle for our playoff team while Wiggins is the entire puzzle in Minnesota, yet he still manages to average more assist than Wiggins right now. I have never been impressed with Wiggins passing, and Giannis is a truly special passer for someone his size when you watch him. I think Giannis gets a HUGE nod over Wiggins as far as play making goes and making your teammates better right now

[Mattya]

Both great players but I'm going with Wiggins. Wiggins defense this year is better than what people have said, but he has practically no defenders or rim protection around him.

I'm not sure, Minny's defense is 3 points/100 posessions better without Wiggins. At this point of time, I'm not sure if he's even the second best defensive player in that horrid defensive team (Rubio is very clearly the best defender on Minnesota, when he plays the defense goes from the easily worst in the NBA to #17). He has the potential, though.

Sorry, that just doesn't match the eye test for me. Wiggins is guarding every teams best offensive player. So the only time Wiggins is off the floor it also usually means the other teams best offensive player is off the floor. Tell me my eye test is bad, tell me I'm a homer, tell me stats don't lie, but when people call Wiggins a bad defender I can't take them seriously. I need context when you give me stats like that, especially when those don't take into account who Wiggins is guarding, did the player score on Wiggins or if there a switch on defense, was there good help defense.

[Zeitgeister]

Two athletic phenoms who are 20 years old.

Who was better this season?

Who do you think will be better during their primes?

Giannis was better this season, but very difficult to compare a second year player to a rookie year player.

It's also very difficult to get an accurate read on Wiggins' defense. He plays on the worst defensive team/system in the league, Flip is a terrible, terrible coach. Wiggins doesn't have a rim protector behind him worth a damn either. It's fair to say he's obviously not a significant defensive presence but I don't think he's the liability like some defensive stats suggest.

[NO-KG-AI]

Impressed with how well Wiggins has finished at the rim this season (about 66% on 351 shots). He was an excellent dunker in college, but a lot of people were worried about his overall finishing inside, and he should be up over 70% by next year if he keeps adding weight. Might be a better scorer than a lot of people envisioned, if he can continue to add to his game, because despite his lack of advanced ball handling, he's been able to get to the rack and create.

Think Giannis is probably a better player this year. Two bright prospects, I'd probably take Wiggins in the future in most cases. Giannis is a freak in his own right, but Wiggins' explosion is off the charts.

[Illmatic12]

Giannis is a bit better this year. Though he's also has had an extra year to train/develop at the NBA level over Wiggins, who has improved extremely quickly even in the short time frame from his year at Kansas to now.

Giannis has immense potential, his physical profile and skills are out of this world. The only thing holding him back is that he's not a natural scorer. Don't get me wrong, he can definitely score and draws FTs well, and is developing a few unstoppable moves going to the rim. But he's likely not going to score/pass with enough volume to carry an offense. Wiggins was born to get buckets, as a prospect he was putting up 40-50+ point games in the high school/college ranks without even being a good ballhandler. Because of his learning curve and introduction to basketball, I don't think Giannis can develop those same innate scoring instincts that most NBA superstars have.


I think both will be excellent players, but Wiggins imo has a higher ceiling because of the type of player he is. We rarely see a wing player who scores and draws FTs so effortlessly, imo Wiggins is going to be a high TS%, high volume scorer who you can build an offense around. He's got a good IQ for the game, his playmaking skills will develop faster than people think once he has competent teammates around him (Durant went through a similar growth curve there). And I believe he has very high potential defensively -- there's no reason why he can't be a high-impact wing defender.

[your boy]

Wiggins looks like he will be a great scorer in the league for a long time. But Giannis has shown a much more well rounded game, with a quickly improving offensive game.

That he has. Nothing against Giannis, but he has been playing in a much worse conference, as well as playing on a much better team considering Minnesota has been playing LaVine at PG a majority of this season, a player most thought wouldn't even play this season. Factor in that the Wolves have been missing 3 of their best 4 players for nearly the entire season and it is no surprise Giannis has been so well-rounded.

You see a lot of flashes of him just being unfair, his midrange game is now a serious threat and its already helped his game a bunch. How well he has been playing since Knight was traded is extremely impressive for a 20 year old. 15/8/3 since then, with very good defense.

This is a certainty. 14/7/3 (Not sure where you are getting your rounding from ) Jason Kidd has been able to utilize Giannis to get everything out of him this season, but that isn't the case with WIggins. WIggins is still scratching the surface on what he can do, and once he has an actual NBA roster around him, I fully expect him to flourish to a all-star level, perhaps even next season.

No doubt Giannis has been better this season. He has also shown to be much better than Wiggins defensively so far, but I have no doubt that Wiggins will be a very good defender one day.

His defense is very special. Once Wiggins gets an NBA team around him and a system I expect him to become a great defender, but time will tell. He will lack the size to guard larger 3's and any 4's for the next half of a decade, but I expect him to become a defensive stopper on most PG/SG/SF for the next decade.

It depends how high you are on them, its really preference. I think Giannis has a much more well rounded game, I doubt Wiggins will ever come close to being as good of a passer as Giannis.

I agree, but I don't think he will half to. Even this season, on a talentless Wolves team, Wiggins put up 9.7 AST% to 11.6 TOV% compared to Giannis' 13 AST% to 15.6 TOV%. Obviously the Bucks don't have world beaters on offense so let's not take anything away from Giannis' higher AST% on a lower USG%.

Giannis is also will be a better rebounder, and Im confident he will be a very good scorer in the league as well.

Oh yeah. Giannis will always be a better rebounder, especially considering WIggins will be an ideal 2 in this league in my opinion. However, WIggins posted a higher ORBD% this season, which is more telling to how good of a rebounder you are relative to a more team stat like defensive rebounding. Will he ever be close to as good of a scorer as I see Wiggins? Not in my opinion, and this is one I don't think will be close. I see Wiggins as a legit #1 option on a title team in 3-4 years, while I have a hard time seeing Giannis being a second option on a title contender, but that could change.

I'd be surprised if he isnt putting up 20 a game in 2 years.

On poor efficiency, sure. 20 PPG on 50 TS% seems like a safe bet if he wanted 20 PPG, but I see somewhere in the 16-17 PPG on 55-58% being his PEAK, which isn't bad at all, considering his defense, rebounding, and potential passing.

I think he is someone you build around. Being a Bucks fan I'd go Giannis obviously. This is a very interesting debate though and I'm looking forward to the arguments for both sides

Giannis is a cornerstone, no doubt, but in my opinion, a different type of cornerstone. To me, Wiggins is a cornerstone that you just need to put in a couple of playmakers and defensive players and you have yourself a very competitive team come playoff time. With Giannis, you still need a #1 and another comparable scoring option, but you already have a defensive anchor and a solid playmaker.

Giannis has an extremely high ceiling. If the Bucks perform well next season he will most likely be an all-star at age 21. Time will tell who is better in their prime

The same is said for WIggins.

I probable overrate WIggins potential to be a great scorer, but his footwork and ability to score in the post, at this age, has me orgasmic. One thing is for sure, both of these players need to work on their 3 PT shots.

Comparing stats since the All-star Break

Giannis: 14.4/7.1/2.6/1.1/.9, 2.3 TOV, 47/15/76 shooting
Wiggins: 19.9/4.9/2.3/.6/.9, 2.5 TOV, 44/17/78 shooting

Giannis: 54 TS%, 48 eFG%, 4 oRB%, 11.5 TRB%, 12.6 AST%, 1.3 STL%, 2.9 BLK%, 14.9 TOV%
Wiggins: 53 TS%, 45 eFG%, 5.5 RB%, 7.1 TRB%, 10.9 AST%, 1.2 STL%, 1.2 BLK%, 11.7 TOV%

Looking at these, what makes you think Giannis is going to be a better passer, let alone much better passer, than Wiggins?

Wiggins looks like he will be a great scorer in the league for a long time. But Giannis has shown a much more well rounded game, with a quickly improving offensive game.

That he has. Nothing against Giannis, but he has been playing in a much worse conference, as well as playing on a much better team considering Minnesota has been playing LaVine at PG a majority of this season, a player most thought wouldn't even play this season. Factor in that the Wolves have been missing 3 of their best 4 players for nearly the entire season and it is no surprise Giannis has been so well-rounded.

You see a lot of flashes of him just being unfair, his midrange game is now a serious threat and its already helped his game a bunch. How well he has been playing since Knight was traded is extremely impressive for a 20 year old. 15/8/3 since then, with very good defense.

This is a certainty. 14/7/3 (Not sure where you are getting your rounding from ) Jason Kidd has been able to utilize Giannis to get everything out of him this season, but that isn't the case with WIggins. WIggins is still scratching the surface on what he can do, and once he has an actual NBA roster around him, I fully expect him to flourish to a all-star level, perhaps even next season.

No doubt Giannis has been better this season. He has also shown to be much better than Wiggins defensively so far, but I have no doubt that Wiggins will be a very good defender one day.

His defense is very special. Once Wiggins gets an NBA team around him and a system I expect him to become a great defender, but time will tell. He will lack the size to guard larger 3's and any 4's for the next half of a decade, but I expect him to become a defensive stopper on most PG/SG/SF for the next decade.

It depends how high you are on them, its really preference. I think Giannis has a much more well rounded game, I doubt Wiggins will ever come close to being as good of a passer as Giannis.

I agree, but I don't think he will half to. Even this season, on a talentless Wolves team, Wiggins put up 9.7 AST% to 11.6 TOV% compared to Giannis' 13 AST% to 15.6 TOV%. Obviously the Bucks don't have world beaters on offense so let's not take anything away from Giannis' higher AST% on a lower USG%.

Giannis is also will be a better rebounder, and Im confident he will be a very good scorer in the league as well.

Oh yeah. Giannis will always be a better rebounder, especially considering WIggins will be an ideal 2 in this league in my opinion. However, WIggins posted a higher ORBD% this season, which is more telling to how good of a rebounder you are relative to a more team stat like defensive rebounding. Will he ever be close to as good of a scorer as I see Wiggins? Not in my opinion, and this is one I don't think will be close. I see Wiggins as a legit #1 option on a title team in 3-4 years, while I have a hard time seeing Giannis being a second option on a title contender, but that could change.

I'd be surprised if he isnt putting up 20 a game in 2 years.

On poor efficiency, sure. 20 PPG on 50 TS% seems like a safe bet if he wanted 20 PPG, but I see somewhere in the 16-17 PPG on 55-58% being his PEAK, which isn't bad at all, considering his defense, rebounding, and potential passing.

I think he is someone you build around. Being a Bucks fan I'd go Giannis obviously. This is a very interesting debate though and I'm looking forward to the arguments for both sides

Giannis is a cornerstone, no doubt, but in my opinion, a different type of cornerstone. To me, Wiggins is a cornerstone that you just need to put in a couple of playmakers and defensive players and you have yourself a very competitive team come playoff time. With Giannis, you still need a #1 and another comparable scoring option, but you already have a defensive anchor and a solid playmaker.

Giannis has an extremely high ceiling. If the Bucks perform well next season he will most likely be an all-star at age 21. Time will tell who is better in their prime

The same is said for WIggins.

I probable overrate WIggins potential to be a great scorer, but his footwork and ability to score in the post, at this age, has me orgasmic. One thing is for sure, both of these players need to work on their 3 PT shots.

Comparing stats since the All-star Break

Giannis: 14.4/7.1/2.6/1.1/.9, 2.3 TOV, 47/15/76 shooting
Wiggins: 19.9/4.9/2.3/.6/.9, 2.5 TOV, 44/17/78 shooting

Giannis: 54 TS%, 48 eFG%, 4 oRB%, 11.5 TRB%, 12.6 AST%, 1.3 STL%, 2.9 BLK%, 14.9 TOV%
Wiggins: 53 TS%, 45 eFG%, 5.5 RB%, 7.1 TRB%, 10.9 AST%, 1.2 STL%, 1.2 BLK%, 11.7 TOV%

Looking at these, what makes you think Giannis is going to be a better passer, let alone much better passer, than Wiggins?

To be fair, Giannis is also just scratching the surface, if he can develop a 3 points shot (Wiggins needs to improve there too) he should be a nice scorer. I do like Wiggins more though, dude can score on accident and he's no scrub on defense.

I'm really curious who people like more in fantasy long term though

[Effercon]

Wiggins handily.

Ceiling predictions: Wiggins = Drexler, Giannis = Artest

[tsherkin]

He's been shooting 50% from midrange for a while now,

Eh?

He didn't do anything like that as a rookie and last year, he shot 42.3% from 10-16 feet and 39.3% from 16-23 feet. And for lulz, 28.8% from 3-10 feet.

There's nothing about his mid-range game anywhere near 50% FG, unless you want to define a useless SSS portion of his season.

[theonlyclutch]

I won't be so quick to get gauge Wiggin's potential as a scorer when he hasn't even matched 40 FG% in any shot location outside of 3ft.

As for the question, I think Giannis is likely to be better (i.e more impactful) through his prime, given his measurables + skills allow him to be a mismatch at the 4, he statline looks alot like 2nd year KG...

Giannis - 20.7/10.9/4.2/1.5/1.7, 14.8 PER, 55.2% TS, 105 ORTG
KG - 23.1/10.9/4.2/1.9/2.9, 18.2 PER, 53.7% TS, 107 ORTG

I'm not saying that he'd be KG, but even a poor man's version would likely be give more benefit than what Wiggins IMO projects to be, a scorer on good (but not great) efficiency..

[Big Aristotle]

As the leaves begin to crumble beneath my boots as I walk along the cobblestone road to my midwestern home, I ruminate over the passing of summer. *Woosh* A robust gust of wind blows, collecting two leaves and blowing them unto me. As they sit against my jacket, I reach up, gathering both between my two hands. I examine them, marveling at their beauty. Saying the leaves are identical is simply myopic. Each possesses its own characteristics, its own weight. Each has endured experiences unique and significant to themselves. The wind never blows each the same.

Arriving back at my home, I collapse onto the couch and close my eyes, my thoughts changing from two midwestern leaves to two midwestern ballers, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Andrew Wiggins.

Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak. The Svelte Soldier. Vast hangs capable of gripping a gyro sandwich, fries, 20 oz soft drink, and a basketball. The shy boy from Sepolia, yearning for purpose, stumbles upon a basketball one day. As he dribbles the dusty, weathered ball, he becomes roused by the sound it makes against the street. He tosses it against walls, behind his back, through his legs, but what he enjoys most is doing it with his eyes sealed. Dribbling the ball and dreaming, stunning images enhancing the darkness of his closed eyelids. The sweetest sound, he thinks. I could stay in this moment forever ...

"Giannis?! Dinner!" his mother shouts.

He pries open his eyes and picks up the ball, his long legs quickly carrying him home.

Andrew Wiggins. The Killer from KU. Mr. Maple Syrup. Andrew "Smokin' the competition like sticky-icky" Wiggins. The barbarian with the basketball. The Conan of the court. A sport so natural to him yet seemingly endless. Early summer mornings of running, lifting weights, strengthening his physique. Long summer nights filled with jump shots. *Swish* From every angle. *Swish* From every corner. *Swish*

"But there's still so much to do. So much to learn," he mutters to himself. And, in a way, there is. A boy dissatisfied with himself. Eager to improve, he locks himself in his room, the isolation conjuring contemplation as he watches film of Dr. J, Magic, MJ, LeBron. He watches them all. He pines to be a superstar. To be a destroyer of worlds. To destroy a team's season, their dreams, their basketball bliss, all with a single shot as the buzzer sounds. He wants to be the one man who can save one franchise and destroy the 29 others.

"So much to do. So much to learn," he continues to mutter ...

[HeartBreakKid]