[M-EazyParticipant]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/highschool/ct-spt-0515-prep-bkb-jabari-parker-si-cover,0,7041323.story

 

That’s a crazy title to give him, but does anyone agree?  Is he really better than Kevin Durant or Derrick Rose coming out of HS?  And respect for this kid not denying his faith as a Mormon.  I now understand the potential BYU commitment.

[SpacegrassParticipant]

No he isn’t the best since Lebron , I saw more can’t miss prospect in Howard and Durant.  He is a good player but , I am not even convinced he is better than Julius Randle in his own class.  If he pans out going forward I see him as Paul Pierce if he was 6’8 , just not overwhelmingly glowing athletically.  Though by no means is he unathletic , he is about the same caliber of a guy like Harrison Barnes athletically.

[dolla130Participant]

i wont say he was a better prospect then durant, rose or howard but but as far as sure skill hes up there and he makes it look real easy but i will say this he has a more polished game then them three comming out of hs to imo and the difference between him and randle is that he has a defined position and randle looks to me like he cna be a athletic zach randollf just lacking the height , and to me that paul pierce comparison is not a solid one becuase hes a lot more athletic then pierce,

but with that being said i think the 2013 class is filled with talented players with big upside and i think the top players in that class would own the players in the 2012 class

[BleedingBlueParticipant]

 He’s not even the clear-cut best player in his class (Julius Randle), and probably not the best player in high school right now (Andrew Wiggins). Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard.. heck even Michael Beasley was more dominant than he is.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

"but with that being said i think the 2013 class is filled with talented players with big upside and i think the top players in that class would own the players in the 2012 class"

I think you should add, "besides Shabazz Muhammad", as he is clearly head and shoulders above any prospect in the 2012 class. Still, as far as "Best High School Player since LeBron James" is concerned, it may be true. Jabari has been a force and a factor at the HS level since day 1. He has won three state championships and his skill set is incredibly impressive.

Not only this, but he was a kid that actually lost weight as opposed to one who has to gain weight, as tends to be the case with most top HS prospects. He is strong, he has a great court sense and it seems he has excelled at every level he has played at thus far. They do after all say, "Best Player since LeBron James" not "Best Prospect Since LeBron James".

The thing that made LeBron amazing was that he had the ability and court sense to immediately impact the NBA. Other HS players had played really well, but none since Moses Malone were able to come in and be as immediately impactful as LeBron (not Amare, not Dwight Howard, list goes on). Jabari Parker certainly seems to have the tools that lead people to believe that he could fit into this category. Other players may have had more potential, but it may indeed be true that none were as good as Jabari is currently since LeBron James.

I think that Andrew Wiggins is incredibly close to Parker currently and may be the better prospect, but most seem to believe that Parker’s All-Around game is even more impressive. His athleticism does not appear to be in the elite range of Wiggins, but he is adequate and it does not appear to be a major issue. Carmelo Anthony was not an out of this world athlete either, but was strong and skilled. He has done pretty well for himself, with Jabari probably not have his offensive skill set but seeming to have more of an ability to get others involved.

Sports Illustrated obviously is making a bold statement, they have done so many times. They also are known for "the Sports Illustrated curse" with many predictions and covers not turning out as well as they were thought to at the time. Nonetheless, LeBron James was on the cover as a HS Junior and seemed to do pretty well. Felipe Lopez was before St. John’s and did not live up to the hype, but was a solid player. If Parker agreed to do this, he must have some confidence in his ability and some drive to have this be remotely true. There may be better prospects between he and LeBron, but he definitely seems to be one of the more special players at the HS level in quite some time.

 

[JoeWolf1]

 Poor guy, that’s high praise.  Hopefully he continues to develop and can fulfill that praise.

[KDThunder35Participant]

 The kid appears to be humble and hardworking.  This was also a key to success for Kevin Durant.  He never yells in opponents faces when he dunks on them or does anything flashy or showboat like after a highlight play.  He just seems like an even keeled player that will only get better because he wants to get better.  I think this praise of Jabari has some merit to it.  He won national player of the year in one magazine (can’t remember which off the top of my head), and there were some damn good players in high school this year.

Congratulations to Jabari for this high praise from SI, I personally don’t think it will go to his head.  He is a good teammate, which will only help further his development.

[M-EazyParticipant]

You made me remember that Parker isn’t even better than Shabazz Muhammad.

[rwd5035Participant]

Ugh, unnecessary pressure for a 16 year old. Hope he keeps his head to the ground and continues to work hard.

[dolla130Participant]

shabazz muhammad isnt better then parker at no aspect of the game yeah hes better then all in the 2012 class but thats not saying much at all the 2012 class to me is the weakest hs class in some years and it just so happens he is the best player out of that group id even argue randle is better then muhammad, muhammad to me is very overrated 

[DurantsWingspan]

I can tell your a good guy.

[del90Participant]

I was blessed enough to have watched both of them up close at Simeon after school. Bari was like a young Barkley, now the kid is off the chain. He appears to be way more skilled now than what Rose was. But best since James? That’s a toughy. Between him and Rose, that’s a toughy.

http://rand0mlyhiph0p.bandcamp.com/album/pooh

[SpacegrassParticipant]

To the poster or anyone else who disagreed with me on the Jabari Parker comparison to Paul Pierce please read this interview with Jabari and who he models his game after , jackasses.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/recruiting/basketball/mens/story/_/id/7964581/jabari-parker-no-1-espn-100-rare-recruit

[Bill Walton’s KneesParticipant]

 Wasn’t OJ Mayo considered the best since LeBron early on in his high school career?

[rhamnlacsonParticipant]

 shabazz and jabari would be the picks to be in next years draft if jabari and shabazz declares that they want to go to the nba 2013-2014 season rookie class but on another note we would have 3 yrls of strong draft class if this would ever happen the nba would just get better and better cuz of the young guys like parker,davis,robinson,and shabazz on the nba 

[Ghost01Participant]

 He is better than Randle, and Wiggins, by far. He has been phenomenal for every year he’s been in high school. I would say hes the best high school player since…Greg Oden. 

[joecheck88Participant]

 Yea best player since Greg Oden. Greg Oden was dominant in HS. He had a lot of hype as did OJ Mayo. So yea, I’m going with since Oden.

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