The 2014 NBA Draft is widely expected to be one full of potential future superstars. The top three players, the ones who are projected to make a difference as soon as they enter the league, are already drawing much attention from the NBA world. Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid are all NBA ready and seem to have superstar potential. Let’s examine each of those prospects closely.
Jabari Parker
Parker is considered to be the most NBA – ready prospect out of the 2014 draft class. He stands at 6’8” and weighs 241 pounds and he is a very strong and big body. The 19 – year old Duke product was the leading scorer of his team last year, averaging 19.1 points per contest, shooting 47.2 percent from the floor and also 35.8 percent from beyond the arc. Parker has a wide range of skillset and apart from a capable scorer, he is also a terrific rebounder. He averaged 8.7 boards per game last year.
Along with his strengths on the offensive end, however, come his weaknesses on the other end of the floor. Although Parker can play at the power forward position, he will certainly have troubles guarding strong and bulky opposing power forwards. But even if he plays at the small forward spot, he will have issues staying in front of his opponents at the NBA level, as quickness is not one of his strong points. He certainly needs improvement, particularly on defense but the ceiling seems to be very high for him.
Andrew Wiggins
At the moment, Wiggins stands the most chances to make it to the top of the draft this summer. The Cleveland Cavaliers will get to select at the No.1 spot for yet another year and they can’t miss this time. Andrew Wiggins appears to be the perfect fit for this young team. Wiggins is a 6’8” and 200 – pound small forward, who has elite defending skills. Wiggins is still not an elite scorer but at the age of 19, he can for sure work on his game. His ball handling has to be worked on but the foundations are there. Wiggins is already a superb athlete and he has a solid jumper.
Joel Embiid
The NBA truly needs of capable and dominant big men. Joel Embiid seems to be exactly that. He has a great body frame for the center position, he stands at seven feet, weighs 265 pounds and has a 7’5” wingspan.
Nonetheless, his back injury issues will cost him one or two spots in the upcoming NBA Draft. If Embiid manages to stay healthy, he can emerge as a franchise player for the team that will select him this summer. He is a tremendous shot blocker and his 2.6 blocks per game last season prove exactly that. His offense needs some work but up to now he showed that he has lots of potential. Apart from playing close to the basket Embiid can also knock down the close shot. He will certainly be an impactful player in the next seasons if he manages to stay healthy and injury free.
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Thank you for reading. Ron Leyba is the lead editor of Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues, and a LastWordOnSports NBA Analyst. For more of his articles, follow his updates at Google+ or follow him on Twitter – @ronniedare. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and “liking” our Facebook page.
