NBA Draft 2014: Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins To Contend For Number One Spot Following Joel Embiid Injury! Who Will Be Taken First?
The NBA Draft 2014 is near. March Madness is on, and scouts are getting the best look on how the draft prospects perform on crucial games. One big blow for his bid to be the top is dealt on center Joel Embiid as he is injured.
That leaves the door open for the next two contenders: Embiid's Kansas teammate Andrew Wiggins and Duke's Jabari Parker.
NBA Draft expert Chad Ford was asked by fans to make a case for both players in his weekly chat.
For Andrew Wggins: " If he keeps playing like he did the other night when he dropped 41 points? All of them. With Embiid's back ailing and Wiggins continuing to show signs of picking up his game he's the obvious choice. Even before the injury to Embiid, some scouts and GMs were moving back onto the Wiggins bandwagon. There is just sooooo much potential there and he's showing signs of understanding it. If he takes over for Kansas the next few weeks, he may be the No. 1 pick even if Embiid gets 100 percent healthy."
For Jabari Parker: "He might be. He's playing terrific again. He is the most NBA ready prospect in the draft. There isn't a lot he can't do. I think it's his defensive limitations and concerns about his conditioning and elite athletic abilities that are the only things holding him down from being a lock for No. 1. But with that said, teams love him and especially if Embiid moves out of the discussion for No. 1, he could pick up speed."
It is a big question whether Embiid's injury would force him to stay in school, but for most teams, an injured center conjures up nightmarish memories of Greg Oden, the last center to be drafted with the first overall pick. Parker and Wiggins are both 'sure things.'
Parker has been more consistent and has taken over as the go-to-guy with the Duke Blue Devils. With most teams in the NBA gutting their roster to move up the draft board, it is not farfetched to think that the 1st overall pick will be tasked to be the main scorer. Parker has done it better than the other Top 5 prospects-even Wiggins who has chosen to defer the main role.However, Wiggins 41 point performance shows that he can become the top scorer as well as anyone.
It's a tough call, but Wiggins still has the slight edge among most GMs, according to Ford.