[Pro-21Participant]

 I’ve watched wiggins a lot over the last week and I have major concerns about his game. First of all, for as explosive as he is, I hardly see any of the coordination, ballhandling and touch that made other athletic dynamos great (LeBron, MJ, Kobe, Tmac). At this point not only is his handle bad for a shooting guard, its but also bad for small forward and damn near a power forward. Almost  I saw maybe three succesful drives in the half court throughout all of the games. He has zero footwork. His touch around the rim is also mediocre at best. He has an average feel for the game, a solid step back jumper and good jumper. Great on defense. I know its extremely early in his development, but I just don’t realistically see future supertar. I don’t know how much you can improve your handle. He’s much more Luol Deng than he is LeBron or Durant. 

[Jayhawks2011Participant]

Right now the biggest weakness in Wiggins games is strength, his posture, and his ballhandling.  These all tie together so it should be a pretty easy fix.  He gets the ball knocked away from him a lot, but its because he has almost never had anyone in the same stratosphere athletically try to guard him.  Once he realized if he gets his shoulders down on his drives and gets stronger the league will have to watch out.  

 

[Jayhawks2011Participant]

Right now the biggest weakness in Wiggins games is strength, his posture, and his ballhandling.  These all tie together so it should be a pretty easy fix.  He gets the ball knocked away from him a lot, but its because he has almost never had anyone in the same stratosphere athletically try to guard him.  Once he realized if he gets his shoulders down on his drives and gets stronger the league will have to watch out.  

 

[ibe12Participant]

I think it all depends on your expectations for Wiggins. I never really saw Wiggins as a franchise type of guy and for those who expect that from him that might be asking a lot. Guys like Lebron, MJ and Kobe come around every 5-10 years and I don’t see that from him. If you think he can be a second or third option and an all star I think that would be more realistic.

[dawsdabossParticipant]

i don’t think hes a franchise guy until he has that takeover mentality that KD, Kobe, LeBron, Mj, etc.

 I think Wiggins will be a nice side piece 🙂

sssssside pieces

 

[dawsdabossParticipant]

i don’t think hes a franchise guy until he has that takeover mentality that KD, Kobe, LeBron, Mj, etc.

 I think Wiggins will be a nice side piece 🙂

sssssside pieces

 

[ibe12Participant]

I think it all depends on your expectations for Wiggins. I never really saw Wiggins as a franchise type of guy and for those who expect that from him that might be asking a lot. Guys like Lebron, MJ and Kobe come around every 5-10 years and I don’t see that from him. If you think he can be a second or third option and an all star I think that would be more realistic.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

His ball handling is too high and lacks any creativity… He’s a below average to poor ball handler. He has a long way to go before he reaches the level where he can create his on offense and have superstar playmaking type ability. He has a lot of work to do offensively on his skill set and the basic fundamentals. 

He has a chance to reach that level though. Look at Paul George. He was similar his first two seasons in the NBA. He couldn’t dribble or pass. He lacked that ability to make plays for himself or others off of the dribble. His footwork wasn’t that good. He’s improved significantly there the last two seasons. It’s not hard to see Wiggins make a similar type of jump. 

[HaleParticipant]

Exactly. Even now George isn’t that great of a ball-handler despite being much improved there. Wiggins is also a good deal ahead of George at the same stage.

[HaleParticipant]

Exactly. Even now George isn’t that great of a ball-handler despite being much improved there. Wiggins is also a good deal ahead of George at the same stage.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

His ball handling is too high and lacks any creativity… He’s a below average to poor ball handler. He has a long way to go before he reaches the level where he can create his on offense and have superstar playmaking type ability. He has a lot of work to do offensively on his skill set and the basic fundamentals. 

He has a chance to reach that level though. Look at Paul George. He was similar his first two seasons in the NBA. He couldn’t dribble or pass. He lacked that ability to make plays for himself or others off of the dribble. His footwork wasn’t that good. He’s improved significantly there the last two seasons. It’s not hard to see Wiggins make a similar type of jump. 

[kazamParticipant]

 I think you guys need to consider who youre comparing him to, as well as where those guys were at this point in their careers. MJ would still be in college, T-Mac was far from a star in his first few season in the league at the same age. 

 

Give the kid some time to develop and see what happens. 

[kazamParticipant]

 I think you guys need to consider who youre comparing him to, as well as where those guys were at this point in their careers. MJ would still be in college, T-Mac was far from a star in his first few season in the league at the same age. 

 

Give the kid some time to develop and see what happens. 

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 I’m a big Wiggins fan and wanted the Sixers to mortgage the future on him.  But after watching him play I gotta say I’m surprised he’s not playing better.  Even Paul George had a better handle, shooting touch, and passing ability coming into the league was just a better rounded offensive prospect.  

A better comparison in terms of rawness coming into the league is Demar Derozan who couldn’t dribble or shoot coming out of USC.  

I still think Wiggins is a stud but like Derozan he would be better off on a bad team that let’s him jack up shots or else he’ll turn into a richmans Trevor Ariza with Lebron on Cleveland.

Basically Wiggins needs reps and a lot of them.  He won’t get em in Cleveland.

 

 

 

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

I disagree about Paul George. As a freshman in the WAC he averaged 1.9 APG and 2.3 TOPG. As a freshman in the Big 12 Wiggins averaged 1.5 APG and 2.3 TOPG. Seriously, the WAC and Big 12. 

George averaged 3.9 FTAPG and Wiggins averaged 6.5 FTAPG. That may give us a hint that Wiggins was better at using his dribble to get to the rim than George. In fact, he got to the line more than Jabari Parker did and just as much as Marcus Smart did during his freshman season. 

George also stayed two years at Fresno State. His numbers at Fresno State playing against the WAC don’t really stand out to you.

Sometimes, we remember prospects from the past as better than they actually were, especially if they have success in the NBA.

Give the man time to develop. He is showing already that he is an elite defender and that he is really good at getting to the free throw line. The fact that he has a smooth 18 foot jumpshot and a very confident step-back to his left gives you hope for other parts of his outside game. 

Andrew Wiggins will be an elite NBA player, especially if he stays with the Cavs. David Blatt will develop him and get the most out of his skills on both sides of the floor. 

 

 

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

I disagree about Paul George. As a freshman in the WAC he averaged 1.9 APG and 2.3 TOPG. As a freshman in the Big 12 Wiggins averaged 1.5 APG and 2.3 TOPG. Seriously, the WAC and Big 12. 

George averaged 3.9 FTAPG and Wiggins averaged 6.5 FTAPG. That may give us a hint that Wiggins was better at using his dribble to get to the rim than George. In fact, he got to the line more than Jabari Parker did and just as much as Marcus Smart did during his freshman season. 

George also stayed two years at Fresno State. His numbers at Fresno State playing against the WAC don’t really stand out to you.

Sometimes, we remember prospects from the past as better than they actually were, especially if they have success in the NBA.

Give the man time to develop. He is showing already that he is an elite defender and that he is really good at getting to the free throw line. The fact that he has a smooth 18 foot jumpshot and a very confident step-back to his left gives you hope for other parts of his outside game. 

Andrew Wiggins will be an elite NBA player, especially if he stays with the Cavs. David Blatt will develop him and get the most out of his skills on both sides of the floor. 

 

 

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 I’m a big Wiggins fan and wanted the Sixers to mortgage the future on him.  But after watching him play I gotta say I’m surprised he’s not playing better.  Even Paul George had a better handle, shooting touch, and passing ability coming into the league was just a better rounded offensive prospect.  

A better comparison in terms of rawness coming into the league is Demar Derozan who couldn’t dribble or shoot coming out of USC.  

I still think Wiggins is a stud but like Derozan he would be better off on a bad team that let’s him jack up shots or else he’ll turn into a richmans Trevor Ariza with Lebron on Cleveland.

Basically Wiggins needs reps and a lot of them.  He won’t get em in Cleveland.

 

 

 

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

That below average ball-handler had good enough ball-handling to get to the rim and earn 20 free throws last night in Summer league. Paul George is just now becoming a decent ball-handler and he still struggles to get to the basket with creative moves.

Wiggins is 19 years old! Some of his athletic traits are trying desperately to catch up to his hops and quickness. His hand-eye coordination with catch up, but even if it doesn’t he will be elite at attacking closeouts and driving with one-two dribble moves. 

 

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

That below average ball-handler had good enough ball-handling to get to the rim and earn 20 free throws last night in Summer league. Paul George is just now becoming a decent ball-handler and he still struggles to get to the basket with creative moves.

Wiggins is 19 years old! Some of his athletic traits are trying desperately to catch up to his hops and quickness. His hand-eye coordination with catch up, but even if it doesn’t he will be elite at attacking closeouts and driving with one-two dribble moves. 

 

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

I understand, Paul George has turned into a very good to possibly even great player. The best player on a team that finished with the East’s best record, a two-way player and someone who some feel might have been the best player in his draft. However, when Paul George was at Fresno St, do you really feel he was better than Andrew Wiggins? Would "one-and-done" Paul George have been doing as well as Andrew Wiggins? Well, here was two-and-done Paul George:

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2010/players/paul_george/

He had nice numbers, 15.2 ppg and 7.8 rpg, even showed the great FT stroke at 85.3%. However, the 33.3% FG, 4.8 topg, 4.4 fpg and 3-26 from 3-point range (11.5%). In other words, he showed flashes, but he struggled. Now, here was Kevin Durant’s Summer League analysis:

http://wagesofwins.com/2007/07/21/durant-disappoints-again/

KD averaged 24 ppg, he was a much better scorer and shooter than Wiggins is even entering the league (and became arguably the best scorer in basketball for the past number of seasons, at least winning scoring titles). However, 8 boards in 137 minutes. 0.73 points per FG. He didn’t come in and rip up Summer League. Lets at least not act like they came in and blew Andrew Wiggins completely out of the water and did not struggle themselves.

At least you gave basketball reasons for not believing the hype, give props for that. Disagree that his handle is bad for a PF, though he definitely needs to work on it. Plus, people comparing him to LeBron as far as anything besides athleticism, are barking up the wrong tree. Still, T-Mac and Vince both were not Andrew Wiggins when they were 19. At least not at getting shots around the basket or drawing fouls. He obviously needs to play his way into that stratosphere, though Summer League seems too early to write him off.

15.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg certainly do not knock your socks off, though when he gets compared to other one-and-done rookies rather than to perennial All-Stars in their prime, it does not seem like he is doing to poorly. His shooting is similar to SL Paul George, though 40.5% from the field would be ahead of that. Got to the line 20 times, which I am sure some will blame on conspiracy, though am guessing he at least did something to earn those trips, not to mention he was at least getting there fairly often before the 76ers game. To me, it seems like he is at the very least doing alright, if not dominating Summer League to the likes of Jerryd Bayless, Marco Belinelli and my man, Aaron Brooks before him. Yes, there have been really good players who have torn up Summer League as well, just stating that it is hard to tell what is a player is going to be based on what you see in the summer.

What he has shown is potential as a defender, that he has been active and willing to learn. Seems like David Blatt is in his corner, not a terrible sign and shows coachability. You can absolutely work on your handle and improve that, so would not say he is a lost cause there. Plus, he has been hitting the offensive boards and keeping plays alive that few others can. He is not a finished product and only time will tell if he ends up in the category of the players listed. Though, at 19 years old, think he is much more NBA ready than any of them were besides LeBron James. You can be skeptical of his ability, although putting those of others in terms of where they were in development at the same point rather than to the level that eventually got them to All-League plateau is not really fair.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

I understand, Paul George has turned into a very good to possibly even great player. The best player on a team that finished with the East’s best record, a two-way player and someone who some feel might have been the best player in his draft. However, when Paul George was at Fresno St, do you really feel he was better than Andrew Wiggins? Would "one-and-done" Paul George have been doing as well as Andrew Wiggins? Well, here was two-and-done Paul George:

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2010/players/paul_george/

He had nice numbers, 15.2 ppg and 7.8 rpg, even showed the great FT stroke at 85.3%. However, the 33.3% FG, 4.8 topg, 4.4 fpg and 3-26 from 3-point range (11.5%). In other words, he showed flashes, but he struggled. Now, here was Kevin Durant’s Summer League analysis:

http://wagesofwins.com/2007/07/21/durant-disappoints-again/

KD averaged 24 ppg, he was a much better scorer and shooter than Wiggins is even entering the league (and became arguably the best scorer in basketball for the past number of seasons, at least winning scoring titles). However, 8 boards in 137 minutes. 0.73 points per FG. He didn’t come in and rip up Summer League. Lets at least not act like they came in and blew Andrew Wiggins completely out of the water and did not struggle themselves.

At least you gave basketball reasons for not believing the hype, give props for that. Disagree that his handle is bad for a PF, though he definitely needs to work on it. Plus, people comparing him to LeBron as far as anything besides athleticism, are barking up the wrong tree. Still, T-Mac and Vince both were not Andrew Wiggins when they were 19. At least not at getting shots around the basket or drawing fouls. He obviously needs to play his way into that stratosphere, though Summer League seems too early to write him off.

15.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg certainly do not knock your socks off, though when he gets compared to other one-and-done rookies rather than to perennial All-Stars in their prime, it does not seem like he is doing to poorly. His shooting is similar to SL Paul George, though 40.5% from the field would be ahead of that. Got to the line 20 times, which I am sure some will blame on conspiracy, though am guessing he at least did something to earn those trips, not to mention he was at least getting there fairly often before the 76ers game. To me, it seems like he is at the very least doing alright, if not dominating Summer League to the likes of Jerryd Bayless, Marco Belinelli and my man, Aaron Brooks before him. Yes, there have been really good players who have torn up Summer League as well, just stating that it is hard to tell what is a player is going to be based on what you see in the summer.

What he has shown is potential as a defender, that he has been active and willing to learn. Seems like David Blatt is in his corner, not a terrible sign and shows coachability. You can absolutely work on your handle and improve that, so would not say he is a lost cause there. Plus, he has been hitting the offensive boards and keeping plays alive that few others can. He is not a finished product and only time will tell if he ends up in the category of the players listed. Though, at 19 years old, think he is much more NBA ready than any of them were besides LeBron James. You can be skeptical of his ability, although putting those of others in terms of where they were in development at the same point rather than to the level that eventually got them to All-League plateau is not really fair.

[TarHeelRavenParticipant]

 Andrew Wiggins now is much more of an athlete than a basketball player.  That is obvious.  He has the tools, he just needs to put in the work.  In my opinion, he’ll never be a superstar.  He doesn’t have the killer instinct.  You can’t learn to become a killer.  Guys like Kobe and Jordan had it naturally.  Wiggins will never have that "bust your ass" attitude.  I think he’ll have a good NBA career as a complimentary piece, but not an elite all-star type career.  

[TarHeelRavenParticipant]

 Andrew Wiggins now is much more of an athlete than a basketball player.  That is obvious.  He has the tools, he just needs to put in the work.  In my opinion, he’ll never be a superstar.  He doesn’t have the killer instinct.  You can’t learn to become a killer.  Guys like Kobe and Jordan had it naturally.  Wiggins will never have that "bust your ass" attitude.  I think he’ll have a good NBA career as a complimentary piece, but not an elite all-star type career.  

[joecheck88Participant]

 You guys watch the games or just watch highlights and look at box score? Lol. The guy is basically a 6’8" Derrick Rose. He doesn’t have the handle Rose had but he has a above average mid range game for the league right now. His handle is a bit high right now but his quickness allows it to be not as bad as it other wise would be. He split multiple defenders on pick and rolls numerous times. Like D Rose he is so athletic he tries to avoid the contact and put the ball in. He’ll learn to jump into defenders and finish through it and get to the line. He already gets to the line a bunch. 

He needs to get stronger to finish and stronger to shoot from deep. He needs to tighten up the handle but it’s like people are searching for the negatives for some reason. He looks good coming off screens, splitting defenders, mid range jumpers and defense. The man is going to be special. 25 & 7 with good defense in his prime is what I expect. 

Also, anyone that guards him is trying to prove they belong. He’s getting the best of everyone every night and he is coming through. He’s not being super featured either. I think he’s looked extremely good so far and he’ll be twice as good by pre season. I’ve been saying it. He will get better at an Anthony Davis like pace. By year 3 everyone will not doubt why he was #1.

[joecheck88Participant]

 You guys watch the games or just watch highlights and look at box score? Lol. The guy is basically a 6’8" Derrick Rose. He doesn’t have the handle Rose had but he has a above average mid range game for the league right now. His handle is a bit high right now but his quickness allows it to be not as bad as it other wise would be. He split multiple defenders on pick and rolls numerous times. Like D Rose he is so athletic he tries to avoid the contact and put the ball in. He’ll learn to jump into defenders and finish through it and get to the line. He already gets to the line a bunch. 

He needs to get stronger to finish and stronger to shoot from deep. He needs to tighten up the handle but it’s like people are searching for the negatives for some reason. He looks good coming off screens, splitting defenders, mid range jumpers and defense. The man is going to be special. 25 & 7 with good defense in his prime is what I expect. 

Also, anyone that guards him is trying to prove they belong. He’s getting the best of everyone every night and he is coming through. He’s not being super featured either. I think he’s looked extremely good so far and he’ll be twice as good by pre season. I’ve been saying it. He will get better at an Anthony Davis like pace. By year 3 everyone will not doubt why he was #1.

[Author]

Posts