NBA Offseason Roundtable Finale: A 2015 NBA Champion Is Crowned
Aug 26, 2014; St. Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins shows off his new jersey at Minnesota State Fair. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Who will be the best rookie of the 2014 NBA Draft?
Michael Saenz: My gut says Jabari Parker. My heart says Dante Exum.
John Armstrong: Since you threw the word rookie in the question, I’m assuming you mean who will be the best this year. I think a safe and easy pick would be Jabari Parker. His game already translates right away, and he’ll make some aggressive rookie mistakes, but he’s on a team that will welcome that. As far as the future concerned, there’s a number of guys that could claim the title of best of the class.
Morten Jensen: There is a small part of me that want to say Bruno Caboclo just on the off-chance I’m right, but it’s between Wiggins, Parker, Embiid, and Exum. Personally, I think Wiggins will live up to his potential, which is greater than anyone else’s, but the impact Joel Embiid can have, if he lives up to his, would from a position standpoint be more crucial. I’ll say Andrew Embiid, and ignore every accusation of cheating my way through this question.
Bryce Olin: Marcus Smart. With the way the NBA is trending to athletic guards, Smart has the best potential to become the next Russell Westbrook. In Boston, Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens will do everything in their power to make Smart a great player.
David Ramil: How do you define best? Statistically, I think Jabari Parker has all the factors in place to be the “best,” with zero expectations, a bad roster and an unproven coach that will let the rookie do whatever he wants. If you look at “best” as an all-around contributor, I think Minnesota’s Andrew Wiggins will be looking to bounce back from a poor showing in the NCAA tournament and to prove Cleveland wrong for trading him.
Brandon Osborne: Jabari Parker. He is the most NBA ready player and I could easily see him averaging 20pts and 10reb for his career.