Stock watch: Wiggins or Embiid — the debate continues

By Staff     Jun 5, 2014
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With three weeks to go until the big night in Brooklyn — the 2014 NBA Draft — a player’s stock can potentially rise and fall on a daily basis. As Kansas University products [Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid vie for the top spot][1], held by Cleveland, the debate continues on whom the Cavaliers should select.

In the world of the NBA Draft, few know the intricacies of the map quite like ESPN expert Chad Ford. As of this particular moment in the process, he has Wiggins as the No. 1 prospect on his “big board” — [posted Wednesday at ESPN.com][2]. Embiid comes in at No. 2.

So, why exactly should Wiggins be considered a better choice, when Embiid has drawn comparisons to all-time great Hakeem Olajuwon? [Ford addressed that question, and much more, on SportsCenter][3].

> “Embiid may have the biggest upside of
> any player in the draft, but there’s
> questions with players with upside:
> Will he develop into the type of
> player that he needs to be? There’s
> still some concerns about that back.
> Cavs doctors will get a look at Embiid
> in the next couple of weeks and be
> able to go over that back with a fine
> tooth comb. But when you talk about
> big men and back problems, it always
> gets a little scary at the top of the
> draft. That’s why Wiggins is No. 1. He
> has that similar upside to Embiid, but
> there are fewer question marks about
> him.”

There are plenty of Wiggins critics, who don’t think he is worthy of the top choice, though. Ford said the unconvinced wonder whether the Canadian phenom will develop the complete skill set needed to be an elite perimeter player in the NBA.

Kansas player Joel Embiid, right, and Andrew Wiggins try to tie up Oklahoma State guard Markel Brown during the second half on Saturday, March 1, 2014 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

> “He needs to improve his jump shot. He
> needs to tighten up his handle a
> little bit. And does he have that
> killer instinct of a Kobe Bryant or a
> Michael Jordan? There was times that
> he was passive at Kansas. Will he be
> that alpha dog at the next level? If
> the answers to any of those questions
> is yes, then Wiggins is, I think,
> clearly the best prospect in this
> draft.”

Ford concluded his spot with a potentially interesting tidbit. While it has been assumed for months that Wiggins, Embiid and Duke’s Jabari Parker would go — in some order — in the top three picks, and all compete for the No. 1 slot, Ford thinks Dante Exum, a 6-foot-6 point guard from Australia, could be in the mix as well.

You never know. Last year, Cleveland surprised everybody by selecting UNLV forward Anthony Bennet No. 1 — ahead of No. 2 pick Victor Oladipo (Orlando), Nerlens Noel (6th, Philadelphia), Ben McLemore (7th, Sacramento), Trey Burke (9th, Utah) and eventual rookie of the year Michael Carter-Williams (11th, Philadelphia).

Watch the full SportsCenter segment with Ford below.

—

*– Keep up with the production of all the ‘Hawks in the NBA [daily at KUsports.com][4].*

*– Follow [@BentonASmith][5] on Twitter.*

[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/hawks_nba/2014/may/27/stock-watch-the-pros-and-cons-of-draftin/
[2]: http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft/mock/?season=2014&version=11&source=Chad-Ford-Big-Board&ex_cid=InsiderTwitter_FordBigboard11
[3]: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11031880
[4]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/mens_basketball/hawks_nba/
[5]: https://twitter.com/BentonASmith

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