THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2014
PAGE 7B
THE DAILY DEBATE
Who is going to win the NBA rookie of the year?
By Nick Couzin
@NCouz
"JABARI PARKER"
I'm sorry Jayhawk fans, but unlike my counterpart who likes Andrew Wiggins as his presseason choice for NBA Rookie of the Year. my vote goes to Jabari Parker.
If there is a more NBA-ready small forward, it's Parker. Even when he was a senior at Simeon Academy in Chicago, NBA scouts and experts were saying he was ready. Playing for such an elite basketball program as Duke and working with Coach Krzyzewski only made him more ready.
He played all 35 games for Coach K last season. He was the leading scorer with 670 points on the season. Out of the 35 games, he scored over 20 points in 17 of them — more than half the games he played in — and also had a game of over 30.
The best thing that could have happened was Parker
being picked second in the draft. Wiggins was picked first by Cleveland Cavaliers, but later was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love. Wiggins wants to be the face of the franchise and he could be in Minnesota, but right now Ricky Rubio is there and is the more popular guard in town.
The situation is opposite for Parker. He will be the face of the Milwaukee Bucks, a team that had the worst record (15-67) and attendance (averaged 13,487/game) in the league last year. Despite the worst totals in the league in the two critical categories, Parker can be the difference maker this season.
What the Bucks need is a young player that will be around for years to come and carry the team through the rebuilding process. It only takes one player to turn a whole team around, and with what we have seen from Parker in high school and college, he could very well be that player.
As a whole, the Bucks
made a great choice with Parker because he will bring fans to the games and maybe even make the team profit enough to get that new arena Bucks fans have been begging for. Most of all, Parker loves it because everyone will rely on him like his Blue Devil teammates did at Duke.
Even better, he starts his professional career only about an hour and a half from his hometown in Chicago. So don't be surprised if you see Parker take over Bradley Center this year. This 2014-15 season might be a struggle without guards Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis, who are no longer with the team. But if Parker puts up the numbers like he did at Duke there is no doubt in my mind that he will win Rookie of the Year in the NBA this season.
Edited by Lyndsey Havens
"ANDREW WIGGINS"
Jacob Clemen
@jclema9
Anyone familiar with KU basketball knows about all the praise and hype that Andrew Wiggins received while in high school and college. He has been called the next LeBron James, the next Kevin Durant or the next Tracy McGrady.
Somehow, though, Wiggins is being overlooked going into his rookie season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The most common candidates to win the Rookie of the Year award are jabari Parker and Nerlens Noel.
Wiggins, however, is the most likely candidate to win the award for best rookie this upcoming season.
Wiggins has the athleticism, work ethic and skill to be an elite player in the NBA, and though he isn't considered as offensively refined as Parker, his defensive ability sets him apart.
In a preview of Wiggins' season. the Minneapolis Star
Tribune reported, "Starting with Wednesday's opener at Memphis, Wiggins' influence probably will be felt most on the defensive end."
While NBA awards are often decided by a player's national exposure and highlight reel, Wiggins' defense will be a huge asset in his case to be Rookie of the Year. Not only will his defense garner attention, but it will also help increase his national exposure and highlight reel.
Being able to play defense ensures that he will be available to play at the end of garnes because he won't be a liability on the defensive end, like many rookies are. This will allow him to make game-winning plays on a team looking for offense now that Kevin Love is in Cleveland. These are the moments that make it on SportsCenter recaps and allow for a player's reputation to grow.
Alongside that, Wiggins will be playing with the likes of Ricky Rubio, Corey Brewer and Thaddeus Young, who all excel at creating turn-overs. For the young Timberwolves, turnovers will turn into transition offense, which is Wiggins' best asset and the best opportunity for him to show off his otherworldly athleticism and end up on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays.
While his defense sets him apart, expect his offensive game to grow quickly as well. In the preseason, Wiggins averaged 11.75 points per game with a .410 field goal percentage including a .600 average from beyond the arc. He will have ample opportunities to get big minutes and be one of the main scoring options as Minnesota looks to develop him into a star and replace some of the production it lost from dealing Love.
While Parker and Noel will have fine seasons, Wiggins will win out as the most productive player on both sides of the floor, and his next-level athleticism will get him the national media recognition needed to win NBA awards.
Edited by Jordan Fox
DAILY DEBATE RESULTS: OCT. 29, 2014 WHO IS THE MIDSEASON FAVORITE TO WIN THE SUPER BOWL?
COWBOYS: 11.1%
BRONCOS: 88.9%
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