2014 NBA Draft : Wiggins or Parker?

It's been thrown around by basketball media for so long now it became boring: the 2014 draft class is going to reshape the face of the NBA, just like the 2003 class did when LeBron, Melo, D-Wade, Chris Bosh and David West took the stage. But you know what's not boring? Seeing the superstars of tomorrow setting the college ball audiences ablaze. We got just that for the last week or so, including an absolutely crazy game where no.1 prospect Andrew Wiggins and projected top 5 hopeful Jabari Parker tried to kill each other, showing the most aggressive display of basketball college ranks has seen in years. Man, it was awesome. But it raised the question: Wiggins or Parker?

To a certain extent, who cares? If their first showdown proved anything is that these two are the real deal, so let's just enjoy plays like this and imagine them with NBA uniforms on:

But it doesn't matter how awesome, skillful and pissed-off Jabari Parker seems to be, the case for him becoming the no.1 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft is and will always be an uphill battle. Put him on a NBA team tomorrow and he'll have an immediate impact. Maybe he'll even average 20 points a game right away if he gets the appropriate playing time. He is way more polished than Andrew Wiggins is and is playing with a huge chip, let-me-rephrase-this, a freakin' BOULDER on his shoulder.

But...

You can already see what NBA scouts see in Wiggins. One important detail. He moves quicker than the game itself. His body has literally one extra second on his defender's mind, which allows him to blow by and leave the said defender confused and humiliated. That physical gift alone allowed him to nab 22 points and 10 rebounds against Duke, in his FIRST EVER college ball game and he wasn't exactly creative with the ball. He doesn't know many ways to put it in yet and the idea of Wiggins learning to play basketball as well as Parker does scares the shit out of me and you and I both know it will happen.

So the game is rigged. The GM with the first overall pick (I believe Utah or Boston) WILL pick Andrew Wiggins, I can guarantee you that, unless Wiggins blows his ACL or something. Even then, he might get picked first on upside alone. The question that remains now is : who will become the better player?

You can officially say it now, it's ON!

I understand now why Jabari Parker has such a chip on his shoulder. So much of his future depends on what will become of Andrew Wiggins, it must be frustrating. All he can do is keep playing with a knife between his teeth like he does now and even then, it doesn't even guarantee him the no.2 spot. The 2014 NBA draft class is THAT good. Remember Melo was only drafted 3rd after burning down the NCAA in 2003. Now, few NBA players have the athleticism Wiggins have. LeBron is stronger and as least as quick and maybe there is Blake Griffin. They are kind of a best case/worst case scenario for Wiggins. Althought I would compare his physique and his athletic game to my boy Scottie Pippen, Andrew Wiggins can alter a game like only LeBron does. But does he have it in him? Can he take over a game in a critical situation like LeBron did last spring in game 6 of the finals, now knon as the...*dramatic chord*  NO HEADBAND GAME.

Or is Wiggins more like Blake Griffin? Nicer, softer, vulnerable to gritty defensive players on the low block? That, we won't be able to tell until Wiggins hits the NBA. But here is how it will go down. Andrew Wiggins will land in an empty, defeated, tanking franchise he'll have to pull out of the gutter by himself and he might just do that like LeBron did in Cleveland. I have this gut feeling that Jabari Parker will land in a more positive situation with a loving fanbase, a young but upbeat and dedicated squad and plenty of playing time to prove himself. My guess is Boston or Orlando. The 2014 NBA draft class is already fascinating. Expect a Hoops Nerd first round mock draft by Christmas!