Andrew Wiggins is not a great in-game athlete (video proves this)

[PleezeBelieve]

First off, he's a decent athlete who has great length to compensate for his lack of wiggle. Now I'm not calling him a terrible athlete, but he's certainly not elite. Here's why...

HE'S A PREDOMINANT TWO-FOOT LEAPER.

And when I say predominantly, I'm talking about a scary-weird overdependency on jumping off two feet to point he appears uncomfortable jumping off one foot. The fact no blog or media person has brought this up during this draft process is very baffling, but predictable.

Here, watch this Wiggins highlight mix:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI-92Zxce6g


As you can see, the guy jumps off two feet 95% of the time in the video. The few times he leapt off one foot, he looked amazingly uncomfortable and nonexplosive.

How long before we have an honest discussion about how this guy isn't the elite athlete on the court that he's hyped up to be?

For those of you who don't think this is a big deal, it is. Cavs fans know this because Tristan Thompson has this exact same issue. Him and Wiggins are two-foot 'gather' leapers. Helps them when they have space (weak side rebounding, put backs) but when crowed they play much smaller than what they are. That's why Tristan is a poor Iso option despite great 'measurables because he lacks the agility off one foot to improvise on the move. Wiggins has the same issue. A crazy amount of his drives to the basket end up with him leaping off two feet, ie his patented spin move and even his strong side drives to the right.

Conversely, Russell Westbrook is a dynamic leaper. He can explode equally well off one or two feet, but he's particularly eletric off one foot. Here's his mix at UCLA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhsIbXBI2Tk


See the difference? On the court one guy looks like he's jumping off the screen and the other is mildly pedestrian. Hmmm, I wonder why...

[Inferno]

I've seen Wiggins jam it off one foot in a highlight video before :confusedshrug: high school doe

[(e)]

So he's a great out of game athlete? What the fck changes from the point he steps on the court to when he's off it?

You're either a great athlete or you're not. He's a pretty raw prospect if you ask me, but the dude is a great athlete no doubt about it.

[no pun intended]

http://i.imgur.com/9sME9aC.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/szVFSz1.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/8v4P0aW.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6wjLBwc.jpg

Okay, Nostradamus of draft picks.

[PleezeBelieve]

So he's a great out of game athlete? What the fck changes from the point he steps on the court to when he's off it?

You're either a great athlete or you're not. He's a pretty raw prospect if you ask me, but the dude is a great athlete no doubt about it.
What are you talking about? You ever heard of combine warriors? People who can't replicate their measurable to the court/field?

That's Wiggins. I just posted a fukkin video, idiot. Did you even watch it?

[Inferno]

PB please say that Embiid will never come back from his foot injury :bowdown: :bowdown:

[PleezeBelieve]

And yet, I was not wrong about any of that sh*t you posted :roll:

[JUDGE WITNESS]

http://i.imgur.com/9sME9aC.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/szVFSz1.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/8v4P0aW.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6wjLBwc.jpg

Okay, Nostradamus of draft picks.
:applause:

[RedBlackAttack]

God dammit PB. Was I not totally honest with you? Take this post and put it here...

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=344093&page=4

No reason for this to be its own thread when we had a perfectly fine conversation going over there.

[PleezeBelieve]

LMAO @ the circle-jerk going on when I was absouly correct years in advance.

Wall - overrated (Cousins should have went #1)

Kyrie - overrated (Cavs trade him and they would get better)

Barnes - overrated (averaged 9 points on 40% last year)


:roll: :roll: :roll:

[(e)]

What are you talking about? You ever heard of combine warriors? People who can't replicate their measurable to the court/field?

That's Wiggins. I just posted a fukkin video, idiot. Did you even watch it?
I've watched the guy multiple times in person, I don't need to watch some whack ass video. He has all the tools necessary to become a star in the league.

[KyleKong]

Okay, Nostradamus of draft picks.

:oldlol:

[Legends66NBA7]

If he produces on the court, does it matter ?

[RedBlackAttack]

He actually makes a fair point that I've seen elsewhere, however...

Wiggins is an extraordinary athlete any way you slice it and his gathering before he jumps could be due more to his loose handle than any particular problem he has jumping off of one foot.

Regardless, good luck convincing anyone that this guy is just a decent athlete:

http://photos-h.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xpf1/10299905_724686437584103_446876246_n.jpg

I think he could probably jump completely over Tristan Thompson. That comparison is not a good one. Hell, Wiggins' second jump will probably be among the best in the entire NBA straight away. Wiggins has some issues he needs to correct to become the kind of player he has the potential to be, but athleticism isn't one of those issues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeO3JNfOpno

[TheMarkMadsen]

So he's a great out of game athlete? What the fck changes from the point he steps on the court to when he's off it?

You're either a great athlete or you're not. He's a pretty raw prospect if you ask me, but the dude is a great athlete no doubt about it.

Agreed. I visit Lawrence a lot and I've never seen anybody run faster from a bar when the cops came than andrew wiggins.

This guy is nba ready

[(e)]

Agreed. I visit Lawrence a lot and I've never seen anybody run faster from a bar when the cops came than andrew wiggins.

This guy is nba ready
True. I've seen this dude get to some honeys crib in 4 strides. That chicks house was 12 blocks away.

Ain't a great in-game athlete :biggums:

[Inferno]

http://giant.gfycat.com/GiantFarawayCoypu.gif

[Inferno]

Parker doe

http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/3560313/parkerstl.gif

[Marchesk]

http://cdn1.sbnation.com/assets/4177605/shockdunk.gif

[Inferno]

http://cdn1.sbnation.com/assets/4177605/shockdunk.gif

Who's that? :biggums:

[Smook A.]

http://i.imgur.com/9sME9aC.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/szVFSz1.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/8v4P0aW.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6wjLBwc.jpg

Okay, Nostradamus of draft picks.
Ethered

[Marchesk]

Who's that? :biggums:

Cleanthony Early

[el gringos]

Wiggins is a great example of the fact that people get trained into how they see prospects by the media. Sure he's been at the top of mock drafts for years and a lot of YouTube videos made- but if all you did was watch games, and had time to watch as much NCAA as possible- would people have been able to pick him out of the crowd of hundreds of d1 teams as a top 2 pick?


I'm not saying he isn't one of the best prospects this year- I'm just saying if you didn't know he was, there's a good chance you wouldn't have noticed

[G-train]

OP is 93% wrong on all predictions over last 10 years.

[RedBlackAttack]

Wiggins is a great example of the fact that people get trained into how they see prospects by the media. Sure he's been at the top of mock drafts for years and a lot of YouTube videos made- but if all you did was watch games, and had time to watch as much NCAA as possible- would people have been able to pick him out of the crowd of hundreds of d1 teams as a top 2 pick?


I'm not saying he isn't one of the best prospects this year- I'm just saying if you didn't know he was, there's a good chance you wouldn't have noticed
He broke Kansas' all-time freshman scoring mark as an 18-year-old. His game also got better as the season went along. He averaged 18 points per game on 49% shooting (37% from three) and 6+ rebounds per game in conference play (last 18 games of the season).

For all the flack he gets for not "living up to the hype," Wiggins was pretty damn good in his freshman year.

[RedBlackAttack]

Take this (one-legged dunk), Jabari.

http://cdn.sneakhype.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/WigginsDUnk4.gif

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8EaU2SWCk-c/UoMPKJR-fII/AAAAAAAAAB8/SrGCOsPEXCo/s1600/wiggnn.gif


http://www.everyjoe.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/andrew-wiggins-slam-dunk.gif

[el gringos]

He broke Kansas' all-time freshman scoring mark as an 18-year-old. His game also got better as the season went along. He averaged 18 points per game on 49% shooting (37% from three) and 6+ rebounds per game in conference play (last 18 games of the season).

For all the flack he gets for not "living up to the hype," Wiggins was pretty damn good in his freshman year.
I might not have worded it right- all I meant was before he even showed up to Kansas he was the next Lebron, starting at #1. He may have worked himself up close to there but he still isn't at the level most people have believed he is at.

Maybe exum is a better example. He's known as a future all star pg by everyone- without anyone actually seeing him be a future all star pg

I understand we have to take the draft sites and people who see them plays word- because we don't see these guys in person.

Just a lot of hype goes into establishing these guys draft position.

I do think wiggins is a top 3 prospect in this draft

[RedBlackAttack]

I might not have worded it right- all I meant was before he even showed up to Kansas he was the next Lebron, starting at #1. He may have worked himself up close to there but he still isn't at the level most people have believed he is at.

Maybe exum is a better example. He's known as a future all star pg by everyone- without anyone actually seeing him be a future all star pg

I understand we have to take the draft sites and people who see them plays word- because we don't see these guys in person.

Just a lot of hype goes into establishing these guys draft position.

I do think wiggins is a top 3 prospect in this draft
No, I hear what you're saying. His hype was out-of-hand coming out of high school and, based strictly on that, I think it's fair to say even his damn good freshman season didn't match the expectations.

But, now it seems like people are going a bit too far in the other direction. That's what tends to happen. People praise a guy too much initially and then tear him to shreds when he can't match the crazy hype.

[GimmeThat]

he might be a great jump shooter if he developes a really good form.

[BIZARRO]

No, I hear what you're saying. His hype was out-of-hand coming out of high school and, based strictly on that, I think it's fair to say even his damn good freshman season didn't match the expectations.

But, now it seems like people are going a bit too far in the other direction. That's what tends to happen. People praise a guy too much initially and then tear him to shreds when he can't match the crazy hype.


Totally agree. That's normally the tendency for sure.

In this case I'll throw in that I've never been a fan of Wiggin's game. Saw him live in the McDonald's All American game Chicago, and almost immediately wasn't sold at all. Everything at Kansas is pretty much how I though it would unfold to be honest.
Not that he wasn't good, but I have NEVER seen Mcgrady, etc. potential.

I could be dead wrong and he could be great in the pros, but they ain't falling for his spin move (and will figure it out quick), and without that and the lack of an ability to maneuver well off one foot. he is not that great to me.
I think he might will out 20 a game at some point. And might be an all-star at some point too, but he just looks real stiff to me in the way he plays.

Said it on here after the McD game, and not much has changed my opinion.

Once again, just my opinion. Hoping I'm wrong as he seems like a pretty good kid.

[nathanjizzle]

hes not going to stand out in the nba like he had in high school and college. he will just be a great role player at best. Cleveland would be stupid not to take jabari. hes pretty much a durant and lebron hybrid.

[BoutPractice]

PleezeBelieve, konex, what stocks do you think I should buy today?

[moe94]

hes not going to stand out in the nba like he had in high school and college. he will just be a great role player at best. Cleveland would be stupid not to take jabari. hes pretty much a durant and lebron hybrid.
Do you even read what you type? Durant/LeBron hybrid? What? I understand he's from Chicago but that doesn't mean you have to be retarded.

[GimmeThat]

I think the Cavs should be more concerned about his playing style and the possibility of injury.

he's probably not going to be a bust.

But if you pass on Parker for someone who ends up injured. then...
your fans may forgive you, who knows

[Fork]

I thought I would see a 2k15 clip from the title

[Clyde]

Aren't you the same guy who think Waiters is better than Beal?