This time last year, Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Julius Randle were the talk of the basketball world. Identified as franchise talent, it didn’t take much urging to speculate about their ceiling or to anticipate the start of their NBA careers. Could they be as good as Lebron James (21 points, 6 assists), Magic Johnson (18 points, 7 assists) or Oscar Robertson (31 points, 10 assists) who set the standard as rookies? Were they the next big thing?
The answer is no, not yet, certainly not after twenty five games. Jabari Parker (torn ACL) and Julius Randle (broken leg) are out for the season due to injuries. Other lottery picks have been in street clothes too. Doug McDermott had surgery. Joel Embiid is still recovering from surgery. Marcus Smart, Noah Vonleh, Aaron Gordon and T.J. Warren have all missed time because of a variety of ailments that have kept them on the bench.
Last year’s lottery class of unheralded and little hyped players who everyone discounted seem light years ahead of this year’s class. Rookie of the Year, Michael Carter Williams, averaged 17 points, 6 rebounds. Victor Oladipo averaged 14 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds. Trey Burke averaged 12 points and 6 assists. Steven Adams played in the playoffs as did three other lottery picks (Otto Porter, Cody Zeller, C.J. McCollum)
The best player in this year’s lottery class is Andrew Wiggins. He is averaging 13 points and 4 rebounds. The next best player, Jabari Parker, just shredded his knee. That leaves Zach Lavine and Elfrid Payton as the best of the bunch. With the exception of McDermott, none of the lottery picks will make the playoffs; their teams will be in the lottery in 2015.
It’s hard to project the future of players who shoot 33% like Marcus Smart or who average 2 assists like Dante Exum, or players, who can’t throw a three point shot in the ocean, like Nik Stauskas– he is shooting 24% from three.
Could it be that this class wasn’t as good as previously thought?
NBA success is, first and foremost, very difficult. It depends on talent and getting with the right team and the right system and learning how to develop. 99.9% of players will never have the career of a Lebron James or a Magic Johnson or Oscar Robertson. But they can play 6 years and come off the bench and help their teams in the playoffs. Right now, it is too early to judge except to say this class will be known as the class wrecked by injuries and shooting woes who could not live up to the hype.