Post by jhb on May 13, 2021 13:39:17 GMT -5
Andrew Wiggins
SF
6'7"
197
19
Kansas
If polled last year before their mandatory year in college, every talent evaluator in the world would have told you Wiggins is the clear best prospect in this class and made some lofty comparisons to some all-time great TMBSL wings. While expectations have been tempered slightly after an up-and-down season in Lawrence, many still have high hopes for this young man to evolve into a fantastic TMBSL player and many still have him slotted as the best prospect available this year.
The biggest things scout point to when talking Wiggins is his off-the-chart athleticism. He has outstanding size and length and leaps out of the gym and moves incredibly well laterally and that has scouts salivating because of the potential for him to develop on both ends of the floor. Those physical tools should allow him the opportunity to one day become an All-TMBSL defense-level player. The problem is that he just doesn't have much defensive awareness at this point and some scouts wonder if he'll ever get there because he just doesn't seem to have the desire. He also still hasn't come along as much as many would've hoped in the upper body strength department, that leads him to being pushed off his spot and frankly, bullied, when guarding players closer to the rim. Still, his length and athleticism allowed him, even when disengaged or out of position, to get his hands on some shots and create some steals, and he'll always be a threat to do that at the next level. He isn't engaged as a defensive rebounder but that's because he was often looking to start in transition and use his athleticism to create easy shot opportunities, and he did a good job of finishing those successfully.
Offensively, there's a mixed bag. He's got the tools to be a deadly finisher in the paint and has even shown a budding floater that could be a huge weapon to keep defenders off-balance with his ability to stop and go and elevate...but he's still getting pushed around and he sometimes just seems to lack the confidence to finish strongly. That lack of confidence or assertiveness led to a guy who was easily the most athletic player on the court in most of his games only averaging about 17 ppg in college, which was a little underwhelming considering the hype he arrived with. Scouts do point out that his shooting mechanics have improved drastically and they love the effectiveness of his step-back jumper; he also made 77.5% of his shots from the free throw line and surprised by hitting 34% of his threes on almost 4 attempts a game, but he'll need to continue to come along in that regard at the next level. He does do a great job on the offensive boards, and his second jump ability often gives him opportunities to finish tip-ins and put-backs that other players simply can't get to.
To put it simply, Wiggins has all the potential in the world if he puts his mind to it and takes preparing his body and perfecting his craft seriously. There's just some big questions as to whether that will ever happen. Many scouts still think the risk is worth it as they think even if he doesn't reach his potential, his athletic tools will still leave them with a contributor they can mold.