Jabari Parker
Nov 12, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Jabari Parker (1) shoots over Kansas Jayhawks center Joel Embiid (21) in the second half at United Center. Kansas won 94-83. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Jabari Parker showed his versatility in front of the Chicago crowd. He was clearly comfortable coming into the game. There are a lot of things to note about his game, but his offense is completely based around his pure, guard-like perimeter touch. He started to get going with a 4-point play. The next offensive set? Another pull up 3-pointer. What is scary is how pure that touch actually is. The release is as easy as Durant from the 3-point line.
When he drew his defenders trying to guard his jump shot, he blew by them with a solid first-step and was able to drop a few shots within 2′. He didn’t show tremendous change of direction, outright speed, or blow by quickness, but he is a fluid, well-coordinated athlete. What do I mean by that? After Duke forced a turnover, he drove down the length of the floor against two Kansas defenders, driving right with long strides. As he drove wide for a layup, he did a half-hook that began shoulder-high, and banked off the glass.
He draws a lot of comparisons to Carmelo Anthony, but what I saw was actually better. Anthony likes to begin his play from post position, 19′ away from the hoop, and isolate. Parker resembled shot selection similar to Larry Bird. I’m not saying he is Bird. I am saying he takes shots within the context of the offensive play, attacks the hoop with the same kind of aggression, and demonstrates the same kind of touch and dexterity with both hands. High praise? Absolutely, but the 7′ wingspan and high IQ play just made it seem so obvious. More impressively, he was able to effectively steal the ball or knock out post entry passes. He doesn’t project as a great man-defender at the next level, but he demonstrates great team defense by getting deflections and forcing turnovers with his great wingspan.
If a team wanted a safe lottery pick, this guy is it. He finished with 19 points at halftime, but seemed to incorporate his teammates more in the 2nd half. He fouled out on a dunk by Wiggins, but finished with 27 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block on 9 of 18 shooting, 4 of 7 behind the arc. Impressive.