1( CLEVELAND CAVALIERS )
ANDREW
WIGGINS
KANSAS SHOOTING GUARD AGE: 19 6-8, 200
His talent is unreal. His game? Still a work in progress.
NBA COMPARABLES
Ceiling: Tracy McGrady
Floor: Chandler Parsons
Wiggins is an out-of-this-world athlete who can score in myriad ways. Considering how open the court is in today's NBA, it's hard to imagine he won't average 20 ppg sooner rather than later. One of the best perimeter defenders in this draft, Wiggins has Paul George-type potential on the defensive end. -- David Thorpe
CHAD FORD'S MOCK TALK
Joel Embiid was the heavy favorite to be the top pick before news of the stress fracture in his foot, which required surgery. Like any team, they will want to see the medical report, but this has seriously dampened their enthusiasm. That leaves two prospects: Wiggins and Jabari Parker. Wiggins worked out for the Cavs and was impressive, according to sources. Although he didn't shoot the ball well, he has improved his ballhandling and showed off his explosive athleticism. He has similar upside to Embiid and can be a defensive presence for the Cavs from day one. But there is a vocal faction within the organization pushing for Parker to be the pick. He is the most NBA-ready, and the Cavs are in a win-now mode. For now, though, I believe Wiggins offers the best combination of upside and impact.
CAVS' REAL PLUS-MINUS*
Cleveland must build around Kyrie Irving, whose backcourt partner is smallish Dion Waiters. An elite wing athlete such as Wiggins alleviates some of the inherent defensive issues and would provide a running mate for Irving in transition. -- Bradford Doolittle
*Real Plus-Minus
"Regular " plus-minus measures the net change in scoring margin while a player is on the floor. So if LeBron James leads the Heat on a 10-0 run and Mario Chalmers is on the court, Chalmers gets a plus-10 rating, just for LeBron being LeBron. Pretty wonky. Enter "real " plus-minus, which uses play-by-play data to determine the impact each player has on each possession. So if Chalmers doesn't touch the ball or give up any points during that 10-0 run, then his RPM is zero. The RPMs listed here represent each player's rating through May 29.
Scout take on Andrew Wiggins
Kevin Pelton, Amin Elhassan, Jeff Goodman | ESPN Insiders
The overwhelming sentiment on Wiggins is that there is no overwhelming sentiment. Eight months after his ballyhooed beginning at Kansas, he enters the NBA draft a divisive prospect. We hit up an NBA scout to get his unadulterated take and asked a few of our NBA insiders -- and Wiggins himself -- to dish back.
The Scout
He's an elite athlete1 and a great on-ball defender.2 I think he will be a very good shooter in the NBA.3 I have questions about his ballhandling and his ability to get past defenders in our league in the halfcourt.4 I'm also not sold on his basketball IQ.5 He does some of the same moves a lot of the time and didn't make the right reads against defenses.6 The other major concern I have is whether he has a killer instinct7 and whether he can be a star.8
1. KEVIN PELTON, ESPN NBA INSIDER
If Wiggins actually has a 44-inch vertical, as his agent told Chad Ford, that would tie him with Shane Larkin for second among NBA players in DraftExpress' database.
2. WIGGINS
I take pride in my defense. When I'm guarding somebody and they score, it bothers me. The next possession I really try to key in.
3. PELTON
Wiggins' college numbers (34.1 3PT %, 77.5 FT %) suggest he'll be an average shooter or slightly better. Players with similar college stats as freshmen made 35.4 percent of their 3s in the NBA.
4. AMIN ELHASSAN, ESPN INSIDER AND FORMER NBA SCOUT
Right now, he's nowhere near good enough to create off the dribble; his handle is high and loose, and he consistently takes wide angles off screens. With some instruction and a lot of work, he should have an easier time creating space.
5. ELHASSAN
I disagree; I think his IQ is fine, but I wonder whether he knows how to compete, how to match the energy of his opponent. For most of his life, minimal effort has been enough to dominate. Can he learn to consistently go a few gears higher than he's ever been?
6. JEFF GOODMAN, ESPN INSIDER
He looked completely lost against zone defenses, especially vs. Stanford in the NCAA tournament (four points, 1-of-6 shooting). And right now, his passing needs a lot of work (54 assists in 35 games).
7. PELTON
Of the 11 All-Star wings who've entered the NBA from college since 2003, only three (DeMar DeRozan, Luol Deng and Andre Iguodala) had lower usage rates in their last NCAA season than Wiggins (26 percent).
8. WIGGINS
I think I'll be a star wherever I go. That's just how confident I am in my ability.
