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| via Sports Illustrated |
Andrew Wiggins - Kansas
6’8” (7’0” wingspan), 197 lbs, 2/23/1995 (19 years old)
What I’d Do:
If you concede the fact that the top tier of this draft is three deep, the 76ers are in an enviable position. The risk is taken out of their hands and all of a sudden the guy who was a lock to be the number one pick for almost a full calendar year could fall right into their lap.
The length and athleticism the trio of MCW, Wiggins, and Noel would provide makes you think they could someday replicate the Heat's ultra-aggressive defensive system. The rookie of the year race between two guys on the same team would be fun as well.
This is the perfect scenario for Wiggins too, who by all accounts would rather go to Philadelphia than either Cleveland or Milwaukee. Who could blame him. Philadelphia is a brand franchise with some history. Philadelphia loves their athletes, they will love him too. They’ll be patient as well. Philadelphia’s fans were oddly accepting of the rebuilding strategies the front office made last season.
The downside could be Wiggins developing some more bad habits. Bill Self reined him in a bit, but Wiggins still made some decisions that would drive Popovic crazy (54 assists vs. 80 turnovers at Kansas). The comparison to T-Mac seems apt. They have a similar offensive game at this point, both relying on their athleticism, size, and lift to shoot over anyone at any point. In his best offensive performances at Kansas, Wiggins was just hitting difficult shots. Wiggins still needs to develop consistency in that jump shot though, and he struggles going to the basket with strength (only around 7 FTA per 36).
Let's be honest though. Wiggins was put on the cover of Sports Illustrated alongside Wilt Chamberlain before he played a game for Kansas. No pressure kid. He handled the scrutiny and (at times) criticism remarkably. I have no fear about Andrew Wiggins' development.
Brett Brown let MCW develop some bad habits last year. It was chalked up to a lost season. This year, Brett will be under more pressure to begin installing a 'system' to help these young guys develop. Philadelphia will still be patient, but not as much as last year. This year, they’ll be looking for direction.
What I Think They’ll Do:
Crazy Draft Day Trade:
The Sixers have a lot of options with picks 3 and 10, five second round picks, and enough roster flexibility to draft almost any position...
In his e-book on Scribd (The Pattern of Basketball and the 2014 NBA Draft), Jonathan Tjarks (of SBNation) makes a strong case for Dante Exum over Wiggins:
“You have to play Trading Places with these guys - what would happened if Exum was the one on the AAU circuit every summer and Wiggins was in the AIS? Forget which one has the better highlight tape and who is getting more publicity - passing up Exum to take Wiggins would be a mistake.”
It at least made me think. What if the Sixers feel that way as well after Exum goes in there and blows them away in a workout? They take Exum and trade MCW to Sacramento for the #8 pick? Or to the Knicks for Iman Shumpert?
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