NBA Draft Scouting: Andrew Wiggins

Andrew Wiggins

No player was expected to cultivate the college basketball world like Andrew Wiggins was supposed to this season. He topped nearly every recruiting services lists, even over super-skilled Jabari Parker, Julius Randle and Aaron Gordon. He topped nearly every single preseason NBA Mock Draft and Sports Illustrated graciously gave him a spot on their cover, and wrote an article about him, comparing him to former Kansas greats Danny Manning and Wilt Chamberlain. Although he didn't dominate quite like expected, he still averaged 17.1 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game with the Jayhawks. Now, he is off to the NBA, but where do I think he should go after a strong freshman year?

Offense: From the moment he stepped on Kansas' campus, Wiggins wowed Kansas coaches and players with his superb athleticism. Wiggins can wow you with his outstanding dunks, and acrobatic finishes at the rim. Though, at times with Kansas last season he struggled to be aggressive and get to the basket. Wiggins has an impressive body for a forward, he is 6'8", 200 pounds and is still very quick. That combination makes him tough to guard on-ball but he will face much stronger and quicker defenders in the NBA then he saw in college. His shot is somewhat of a concern; anybody familiar with his game knows that nobody will ask him to step outside and take many deep shots, it isn't his game. But, it would be nice if he could develop a three-point shot to complement his inside game he could really become a difficult player to defend. Without it, he becomes a player who needs to put the ball on the floor all the time and won't bring much offensive versatility to the table. He is also a great rebounder, allowing him to make plays on the offensive glass, and his athleticism helps make things like putback slams and other difficult plays around the rim.

Defense: How a player plays on the defensive side of the ball shouldn't make or break his career but there are some concerns on how Wiggins plays defense. Statistically, he seems like a great player, his long arms allow him to make blocks and his speed makes him a threat to make plenty of steals on the defensive end of the ball. He rotates pretty well on the defensive side, and his lateral movement allows him to make plays on defense and break up passes and block shots. But, his defensive awareness is a real issue, he doesn't recognize offenses the way he should at this level and he allows players to cut to the rim and make plays. He is a pretty good on-ball defender but he can get into a foul trouble pretty quickly because he isn't disciplined still. Against bigger and stronger defenders, he could get pushed around too easily and he doesn't really fit into a defensive role, he is too big for a shooting guard but a little bit undersized for a small forward or power forward.

Where Should He Go: It seems crazy that Wiggins would drop out of the Top 3 and unless a team absolutely loves a player further down the board or someone impresses in workouts he should go in the Top 3. But No. 1 still? Personally, I wouldn't touch him with the number one pick if I were Milwaukee or any other team that has a chance at winning the lottery. In most drafts, he would probably be a No. 1 pick, but most drafts don't have a center like Joel Embiid or a versatile offensive weapon like Jabari Parker. He has superb athleticism and a body that could fit in as a small forward but he is still somewhat of a tweener, not really filling a specific role. He will bring fans to the seats and raise the excitement around the team, but in a couple years there are much smarter and safer picks with the first pick.

Where He Will Go: No. 3 to a team like Philadelphia or Milwaukee, two teams that need an immediate offensive weapon and wing scoring help.