Jabari Parker will emerge as the best ... according to Mike Wilbon

[Project018]

Don't forget Wiggins reclassified himself to be in this "class" he could still be in high school if he wanted too. Wiggins easily has the higher potential. He is raw right now. I believe his offensive skill set will come. Lets give him some time before we say Parker is/will be better just b/c he scoring more points, making more highlight moves, etc. right now.

[Jailblazers7]

Don't forget Wiggins reclassified himself to be in this "class" he could still be in high school if he wanted too. Wiggins easily has the higher potential. He is raw right now. I believe his offensive skill set will come. Lets give him some time before we say Parker is/will be better just b/c he scoring more points, making more highlight moves, etc. right now.

People reclassify all the time tho. It is basically just a way that kids hedge their bets on getting into a top D1 program. Hold you kid back a grade so he can potentially be a year older during his senior year in HS and play at a higher level...if he is good enough as a junior you reclassify and head off to college.

Wiggins is actually a month older than Parker.

[Thorpesaurous]

People reclassify all the time tho. It is basically just a way that kids hedge their bets on getting into a top D1 program. Hold you kid back a grade so he can potentially be a year older during his senior year in HS and play at a higher level...if he is good enough as a junior you reclassify and head off to college.

Wiggins is actually a month older than Parker.

There was a really interesting brief video podcast about the re-classification on Grantland with Jalen Rose.

[BIZARRO]

Regardless of what anyone is watching, projecting, or analyzing. Jabari Parker is as impressive as any freshman since Durant.

2:35 on this vid...

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebask...-is-right-here

[IGOTGAME]

Regardless of what anyone is watching, projecting, or analyzing. Jabari Parker is as impressive as any freshman since Durant.

2:35 on this vid...

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebask...-is-right-here

He is a great talent and imo the best player right now. But, Wiggins has some tools that you just can't teach. That first step is all-time elite level. Skill is great but being able to beat defenders like in a 6"8 body/great wingspan is freakish. I'll have to see more but right now Wiggins just looks like a freak. He will eventually add some skill imo...he has a good base.

[Goliath Uterus]

What have you been watching?

I mean, just as a fan of the game of basketball Jabari Parker is like a man possessed right now.

You could say Wiggins may one day be better (which I've been saying since day one is flat out wrong), but to say Wiggins has played just as well is COMPLETELY off. Parker has outclassed him very badly so far.

Parker is playing like an NBA veteran with his polish, skills, and leadership.

I'm not really sure what "a man possessed means" but Jabari has played very well, but hasn't outclassed Wiggins by any means. They played, and Wiggins outplayed him when they were both on the court (especially when Wiggins guarded Parker) and Wiggins took over and made huge plays when the game was on the line.


Parker is more poised, more aggressive, has a better skill set at this point, and is a more vocal leader, but Wiggins is a world class athlete who's already really good at moving off ball, can finish around the rim just as well as anyone, and due to his ridiculous length and athleticism - is a dominant defender.


Like I said, it's arguable, but Wiggins is gonna improve more than Parker over the course of this year, and he's already outplayed them every time they've matched up. Duke also relies on Parker far more for scoring than KU does Wiggins and yet he only averages 5 more points.

[TheTruth11]

He is a great talent and imo the best player right now. But, Wiggins has some tools that you just can't teach. That first step is all-time elite level. Skill is great but being able to beat defenders like in a 6"8 body/great wingspan is freakish. I'll have to see more but right now Wiggins just looks like a freak. He will eventually add some skill imo...he has a good base.

Jabari Parker has a 7 foot wingspan and so does Wiggins. But like Steven A. Smith said (love him or hate him but he knows his basketball), Jabari Parker is bigger, stronger and has more range and much better handles than Wiggins. Parker handles the ball like a guard. You can't teach that. And you can't teach his range and deft shooting touch. Steven A. said he loves Parker's "floor presence" - plays like he owns the place! And called him a very good athlete. PARKER HAS IT ALL. Steven A. called Wiggins a "project" that might never pan out. He is really worried about Wiggins' lack of handles, range and the fact that he is so small physically (thin). He believes the fact that he lacks size and strength will could him in the NBA game.

Steven A. views Parker as the #1 pick.

...

[Goliath Uterus]

Jabari Parker has a 7 foot wingspan and so does Wiggins. But like Steven A. Smith said (love him or hate him but he knows his basketball), Jabari Parker is bigger, stronger and has more range and much better handles than Wiggins. Parker handles the ball like a guard. You can't teach that. And you can't teach his range and deft shooting touch. Steven A. called Wiggins a "project" that might never pan out. He is really worried about Wiggins' lack of handles, range and the fact that he is so small physically (thin). He believes the fact that he lacks size and strength will could him in the NBA game.

Steven A. views Parker as the #1 pick.

actually, ball handling and shooting aren't hard to improve on at all. it's stuff like Wiggins first step, his lighting quick spin move, or his absurd vertical that you can't teach. Wiggins is already improving his shot, and is already a bit bigger than he was the beginning of the year. his ball handling also isn't bad at all, I'm not sure why people keep saying that.

[Dolphin]

When watching Wiggins and Parker, it's hard not keep looking at both sides of the coin.

1. Wiggins is passive to a fault especially compared to Parker. However, he is playing well within Bill Self's offense. While he should be a little more aggressive, he also makes absolutely zero mistakes. His passes are crisp and always the right one. It's hard at times to draw the line as to when he is hesitant to drive due to not having supreme handles as of yet, and when he's trying to do exactly what Self wants right now.

2. Parker looked a lot more productive if you watched both of their games last night. However, Parker and Hood are the entire offense for Duke except maybe a game here and there throughout the season. Parker also has no real competition for boards other than Hood who isn't a big man and Jefferson (who isn't great). If Parker played alongside Ellis, Embid, Selden and even Tharpe/Mason, would he be averaging 22 ppg? I say No. Would he be grabbing 10 rpg? That's a more definite no. That doesn't mean he wouldn't still look to control the game, but opportunities become fewer and farther between. Let's just make this plain and simple, Kansas' team is considerably better than Duke's imo. The eye test says Parker is much more aggressive, but if you're looking at the stats to defend that point, you may be looking in the wrong place. Parker went 8-18 last night including a couple easy put-backs that he missed and a missed alley-oop. Wiggins went 4-9, which included one three point air ball and one bobbled alley-oop attempt. Being more aggressive doesn't necessarily mean being more productive when efficiency is taken into account. That being said, and even after Wiggins outshone Parker in the second half of their head to head matchup, I would still feel more confident with Parker late in a game because his more refined offense and super thick skin is beneficial especially if he misses a couple shots. He can shoot himself out of a game perhaps, but Coack K can't really complain much this season considering, as I said, Duke's offense is horrid outside of Parker and Hood. So as I'm giving Wiggins a slight pass for being a bit passive in Self's offense, Parker deserves a bit of a pass for potential bad shooting % this season.

3. Just a fact. If Parker played this way at Kansas, he would be benched by Self early on a bit. With the talent they have, going ape shit and potentially missing a few shots in a row is met with more scorn at Kansas (and there will be times when Parker hogs the ball and misses shots this year, but again, at Duke it has to be more accepted). Wiggins would be forced to shoot more at Duke. That to me would be the most interesting situation...Wiggins on a team such as Duke. How would he look if he had to carry the load a lot more.

4. I just want to add that Wiggins shooting form is quite good. He needs to let the ball roll off his fingers a little better to get the arc, but his arm form is good. I would place myself on the side that believes he will become a fine shooter in the NBA (even his air ball was on line...just over shot it). His dribble isn't all world, but with his quickness, it isn't THAT bad. He is hesitant to drive on guys who are a few inches shorter than him, but that is understandable. He needs to drive more to garner a stronger opinion of his dribble at this level. Again, how much is him not trusting himself vs. playing within the system? I don't know. He looked good on that one quick drive and dish to Ellis. Quick points: He is an underrated passer and a good defender who has the potential to be great. He lets guys go by him sometimes knowing that he can recover and I think that's due to him being afraid to pick up fouls, but you can see it in his steals last night and overall he is good to great on defense. Better than Parker for sure.

5. Parker doesn't need much help on offense. Maybe finish around the basket a little stronger and be a little more patient at times. Defense? It's hard to judge where he will be at in the NBA. He is guarding the post mainly in college due to the size of Duke. I said before he needs to lose maybe 10-15 lbs to guard small forwards in the NBA, but I'm not sure about his intensity or smarts on the perimeter because he doesn't guard out there as much as Wiggins.

[KingBeasley08]

Parker has been balling this year. Best college player since Beasley

[veilside23]

Parker has been balling this year. Best college player since Beasley

care to say how's beasley now ? i do hope parker doesnt end up like him :)

[KingBeasley08]

care to say how's beasley now ? i do hope parker doesnt end up like him :)

Touche

[JtotheIzzo]

Jabari Parker has a 7 foot wingspan and so does Wiggins. But like Steven A. Smith said (love him or hate him but he knows his basketball), Jabari Parker is bigger, stronger and has more range and much better handles than Wiggins. Parker handles the ball like a guard. You can't teach that. And you can't teach his range and deft shooting touch. Steven A. said he loves Parker's "floor presence" - plays like he owns the place! And called him a very good athlete. PARKER HAS IT ALL. Steven A. called Wiggins a "project" that might never pan out. He is really worried about Wiggins' lack of handles, range and the fact that he is so small physically (thin). He believes the fact that he lacks size and strength will could him in the NBA game.

Steven A. views Parker as the #1 pick.

...

You can't teach handles or range?

What exactly does one do to develop a player than?

Wiggins a project? LOL Wiggins could start for any team in the NBA right now.

Small? That is a good thing, he can always add size, these fools used to say LeBron was too big.

Bottom line, it is great for the talking heads that there is this conversation, so expect to hear it all year, but also, expect Wiggins to go first, despite what the build you up, tear you down and build you up machine at ESPN does.

[Thorpesaurous]

I believe I heard this from Steve Kerr, who was relating a story he got from Grant Hill, about how good Parker is.

Hill apparently was playing pickup at Duke in the off season with a bunch of current and former Dukies, and said Parker was absolutely spectacular. Absolutely no question he was among the best players on the floor including a few current pros.

And the thing he said that set him apart was just how big he is. He's a legit 6-9, with length, and he says really impressively strong. That was the biggest thing. He could totally hold up in the post against anyone there.

And I think that's one of the biggest reasons Parker's value seems to be jumping. Yeah he's playing great, but I don't think he's playing so great that anyone is shocked. It's the fact that's he's playing center. His rebounding numbers are super. And his blocked shot numbers are great. And in the current NBA, I think the big question surrounding Parker coming into the season was position. He had a little tweener on him. Was he quick enough to defend at the SF spot. Was he big enough to hold up as a PF and could he rebound and defend for you up on that frontcourt. I think more than anything he's establishing that he can play PF in today's NBA. Carmello is playing a ton of PF. Guys like Jeff Green are playing PF. I think more teams are getting higher on him because they can now fully envision him as a stretch four breaking down bigger guys off the bounce and pulling defenders away from the rim. And they don't see him as being a liability in the other elements most stretch PFs bring to the table there if he can translate the rebounding at shot blocking in particular. And he can still play SF in a lot of situations.

Tweeners are weird. It's a fine line between being a mismatch at both positions, and being overmatched at both positions. So they're often total boom or bust prospects.

[Jailblazers7]

There was a really interesting brief video podcast about the re-classification on Grantland with Jalen Rose.

Yeah, I remember watching that sometime in the summer and it kind of brought the topic to my attention more. The incentive is easily understood and it is probably a good decision for many families but it is still a little hard to swallow. Sports have just became such an important part of social mobility for many poor families.

I hear what you are saying about Parker in the post above. I think he has shown he will probably be able to play the 4 pretty consistently in the NBA while mixing some time in at the 3. Before the season, I had envisioned him playing more 3 than 4 in the NBA but I definitely see it the other way around after seeing him at Duke so far.