Jabari Parker
College: Duke
Age: 19 years old
Height: 6’8″
Weight: 234 Lbs.
Position: SF
NBA Comparison: Carmelo Anthony
Jabari Parker shocked no one when he declared for the NBA Draft despite just one year at Duke. He is as solid a possibility as anybody else to be picked within the top five. The Duke forward had options outside of the NBA; his Mormon mission for one-year or returning to school to take the college basketball world by storm, again; but really it was always about the NBA for a player this talented.
Parker arrived in Duke with high expectations. Coach, Mike Krzyzewski, claimed even before the first practice that ‘he’ll be great; he’ll be terrific’. He wasn’t wrong.
Strengths
As a freshman, Parker became the offensive star of the already extremely talented Blue Devils team. He led the Blue Devils in both points and rebounds and became the first Duke freshman to receive All-American status. In Parker’s most notable game with the Blue Devils, he put up thirty points and eleven rebounds on North Carolina, which took the team to seventeen wins and zero losses in their home stadium.
Now let’s look where he sits with other ‘one and done’ players from Duke. He would join the likes of Kyrie Irving and Austin Rivers who stopped over in Duke on their way to the NBA. This puts his success likelihood in nice odds; being amongst those names is good enough, but sharing similar talent to both players is something else. We can question his defensive skills and he does have holes in his game, but his offensive game can compete with the pros, hands down.
Parker has the range to shoot from the outside and the ball handling skills to shoot from the perimeter, and was very good from the college three-point line (50% on the season). Physically he is very mature and should be able to take the pounding, inside, where he can score in the paint and pick up rebounds. For his size he can run the court well and is talented in transition. Parker also has good vision and the versatility to make passes in the high and low post game. Offensively he really can do it all.
Weaknesses
The Chicago-native could by all means hone his skills better and develop more as a player staying with Duke for another year; there is no doubting that. He could enter the draft a year later a much better and more experienced and better developed player on the defensive end of the court.
Parker struggles in perimeter defense and allows penetration from quicker small forwards. He also has some issues defending against the pick and roll right now.
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