We’ve already heard an NBA legend by the name of [Kobe Bryant sees some similarities][1] between a younger version of himself and rookie Andrew Wiggins.
So perhaps we should’ve seen more comparisons for the one-and-done Kansas product coming.
Do we really need a detailed breakdown to determine whether Wiggins is better right now than LeBron James was when he was a rookie?
Absolutely not.
| YOUNG LeBRON VS. YOUNG WIGGINS | PPG | RPG | APG | TOPG | FG% | 3-PT% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James at 19 (2003-04: rookie season, 79 games) |
20.9 | 5.5 | 5.9 | 3.5 | .417 | .290 | .754 |
| Andrew Wiggins at 19 (2014-15: rookie season, through 26 games) |
12.0 | 4.0 | 1.3 | 2.0 | .385 | .364 | .702 |
However, the power of the Internet and the folks at ESPN.com have provided just that. [David Thorpe gives in-depth analysis][2] of the future Hall of Famer, James, as a 19-year-old, and the future who-knows-exactly-what-he’ll-turn-out-to-be, Wiggins, on ESPN Insider.
How does Andrew Wiggins stack up with LeBron? @coachthorpe compares the top pick to 2003 LBJ. http://t.co/374yCccjU9 pic.twitter.com/rNhklFQfeg
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 23, 2014
Obviously, as Thorpe details, Wiggins isn’t as powerful as James was back in the 2002-03 season, nor does the Minnesota rookie possess LeBron’s ball-handling and distributing skills.
The breakdown did give Wiggins the advantage defensively, and as a shooter, though — which serves as a nice reminder that, despite what we heard when he was in high school, the young Canadian simply projects as a different type of player than the guy who is better at basketball than anyone else on the planet. And that’s OK.
There at least is a method to this maddening exercise. Wiggins and James will play against each other for the first time Tuesday night — 6 p.m., NBATV.
Not only does this give Wiggins a chance to go up against LeBron, it also allows the No. 1 overall pick to face the team that drafted him and traded him away before the season began.
[As Wiggins said in a piece for Timberwolves.com][3], facing Cleveland should motivate him — “I think that’s obvious,” he added.
Since scoring 16 points against the L.A. Lakers and drawing Kobe’s praises, Wiggins hasn’t broken the 10-point barrier in three straight games, scoring 9 at Washington, 5 at Boston and 5 again vs. Indiana.
We’ll see how he responds for this one, with far more observers anticipating the matchup and waiting to make more comparisons.
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*- Keep up with the production of all the ‘Hawks in the NBA [daily at KUsports.co][4]m.*
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*- [Follow @BentonASmith on Twitter][5].*
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2014/dec/16/kobe-sees-similarities-ex-jayhawk-wiggins/?hawks_in_nba
[2]: http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12071123/andrew-wiggins-vs-2003-lebron-james
[3]: http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/bennett-and-wiggins-there-some-extra-motivation-tonights-game
[4]: http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/bennett-and-wiggins-there-some-extra-motivation-tonights-game
[5]: https://twitter.com/BentonASmith
