Mar 21, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Jabari Parker (1) saves a ball from going out of bounds against Mercer Bears forward Jakob Gollon (20) in the first half of a men
He was the last, and possibly most high profile, prospect yet to make a decision on the NBA Draft. On Thursday, Duke wingman Jabari Parker decided to join the likes of Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, and teammate Rodney Hood by declaring for the 2014 Draft. Parker wrote about it personally for Sports Illustrated.
Why I decided to declare for the NBA draft, by Jabari Parker (@JPiz1). http://t.co/DOvc4mB4xe pic.twitter.com/xXCyXPugKL
— SI College Hoops (@si_ncaabb) April 17, 2014
Parker has quite the case for the #1 pick, battling with the likes of Wiggins and Embiid for the top honors. The trio have long been considered the best of the pack and a step above the rest of the prospects entering this year’s draft. The Lakers will need a little luck to get a chance at drafting one of the three after finishing 6th in the lottery order.
Parker came in as a highly touted prospect and did nothing to deter that notion. His 19.1 points led the Duke Blue Devils as did his 8.7 rebounds. Despite Duke’s disappointing loss to Mercer in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Parker decided it was time to make the leap to the pros.
In his story with Sports Illustrated, Parker laid out the reason, definitively, why he chose the NBA over college.
"Ultimately, I boiled my decision down to two simple questions:Which environment — college or the NBA — offers me the best opportunity to grow as a basketball player?Which environment — college or the NBA — offers me the best opportunity to grow and develop off the court?The answer to both questions is undeniably the NBA."
We’ve covered Parker completely here at Lake Show Life. You can read his draft profile, a comparison between him and Kentucky big man Julius Randle, and much more in the coming months.