Wiggins and Bennett are both young Canadians who are fueling Canada’s advancement in the sport of basketball. Wiggins could be the number 1 overall pick in this year’s draft and Bennett was last year’s first overall pick but these two have had polar opposite draft stories. Wiggins was declared the next Lebron before he was a high-school senior whereas Bennett wasn’t even in most mock drafts top 5 selections before he was announced as the number 1 pick last June. Here is a glance at these players and the outlook on their respective drafts and the 2014-15 season.

Draft Outlook

Andrew Wiggins is the prototype for an NBA wing. Great size (6’8, long wingspan), an athletic freak, defensively versatile, a force in transition, and a developing half-court game. GMs, scouts, and reporters have been all over him since he was a high school kid, with good reason. Wiggins current game should translate well to the NBA and he has superstar potential, top 5 player in the NBA potential. Right now, his draft outlook is that of a future all-star with the possibility to be much more. Every respected Mock Draft has Wiggins going in the top 3 picks of this year’s draft. Most are calling him a can’t-miss prospect. Perhaps for the second straight year Cleveland will select a Canadian with the number 1 pick.

Anthony Bennett’s draft outlook differed from that of Wiggins. Bennett was not considered any sort of NBA prototype. He was considered a tweener, too small to play the four and too slow to play the three. Nobody was certain about who wanted him or where he could possibly end up. It did not help that he was coming off shoulder surgery and hadn’t been widely considered a top 5 player from his high school class the year before. Most respected Mock Drafts had no clue where he would go, some having him slotted as high as 4 but others as low as 11 and everything in-between. Eventually it did not matter as the Cleveland Cavaliers made a surprising choice and selected him first overall.

2014-15 NBA Outlook

This year, expect Wiggins to be criticized. Not because he isn’t playing well or he isn’t competing hard, but because of the outrageous expectations that have been placed upon him. About his play? Wiggins’ outlook for next season is that he will be a solid contributor on whatever team that drafts him. Most people believe Jabari Parker will eventually win the Rookie of the Year Award because of his seemingly more polished game, but nonetheless Wiggins will be in the running for the award. Wiggins’ contribution will depend on the team that drafts him so let’s look at those most likely possibilities and what they would mean for his season. Drafted to Cleveland? Wiggins will be a solid contributor to the team and lead them to the playoffs, not the number one option on offense, but a tremendous asset for the Cavs defensively while still being able to contribute in spurts offensively, especially on the fast break. Drafted by Milwaukee? Expect him and Antetokounmpo to become a problem on the wings for other teams to deal with. He would be the number one offensive option on the team and able to put up some very nice stats but unless the Bucks decide to spend some money in free agency, Wiggins won’t be seeing the playoffs in year one. Drafted by Philadelphia? Depending greatly on how the 76ers decide to fill out their roster, Wiggins could be used in a variety of ways by them. But still, no matter how they decide to use him, Wiggins will thrive in the 76ers fast paced offensive system and with an athletic, fast, young point guard in MCW, look for Wiggins to put up insane rookie stat lines on this team.

 

What about Bennett’s sophomore season? It will be better than his first. That’s almost a guarantee (can’t get much worse) and dramatic improvement is expected. Bennett was the laughing stock of the league for a good portion of the season, perhaps unfairly, but true. The expectations for him after being surprisingly selected 1st overall were unreachable for the young Canadian. The high expectations aren’t an excuse for the way he played but still the truth. Coming into his second season look for Bennett to play with a chip on his shoulder as he will be trying to prove himself to all of his doubters. He has been hearing the “bust” talks and will be looking to put those to rest. Bennett should be able to become a more consistent contributor and find more court time this season in Cleveland. Stats wise? Again, improvement, in all areas. His shooting percentages will rise dramatically as he regains his confidence as he actually owns a great stroke. Rebounding? He showed in flashes that he could be a great rebounder and that he definitely has the skills to do so. Those are the skills that were expected of him coming into the league and this year he will get to truly showcase that skillset he owns. Defense was an aspect of his game that wasn’t expected to be very good coming in, but it also definitely wasn’t expected to be that bad. It has never been, and was not in Cleveland, an issue about Bennett’s ability to play on the gritty side of the court but more his will to do so. This year, we should see him play with an expected edge and consequently, his defensive level and intensity should rise considerably.

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