Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Andrew Wiggins has drawn comparisons to LeBron James as a rookie, but how do they hold up? ESPN's David Thorpe believes Wiggins could be better than Kawhi Leonard and Paul Pierce, but not King James.
Wiggins drew some comparisons coming out of Kentucky to James, who came out of high school in 2003. While Wiggins has shown some flashes, Thorpe believes the comparisons to James as a rookie don't hold up.
Thorpe offered his analysis in a recent ESPN article:
"Though these two players have been mentioned together in scouting reports for a few years now, thanks to the kind of size and athletic talents Wiggins showed in his mid-teen years, the first two months of this NBA season do not suggest that he will be as good as LeBron has been during his career, or was as a rookie. That's no harsh knock, as it is entirely possible that LeBron will go down as a top-10 or top-five player of all time, just as he was an incredibly special player his first season.
"Wiggins' lack of ball skills and overall feel, and perhaps a motor that just doesn't run hot often enough, lowers his ceiling. (His floor as a player is the current version of Harrison Barnes -- a starter on the league's best team.) If Wiggins begins to play more ambitiously night after night, and then trains in the offseason as if he wants to be the best player to ever play -- as Kobe has done for nearly two decades -- the Timberwolves forward can be a great team's best player on offense and defense for many seasons. As Paul George has been for a few seasons in Indiana.
"Wiggins can be better than Kawhi Leonard, the reigning Finals MVP, or another Finals MVP, Paul Pierce. But the key is Wiggins can be, not necessarily will be. He needs help from his franchise and coaches, and from teammates and good fortune, to be at the level of those guys, much less be better.
"Wiggins doesn't have a chance to be a top-five player of all time, but he can be a top-five player in the NBA for a number of years. And that should make everybody happy."
The only categories - athleticism and motor, shooting, scoring, defense, and passing and feel - Thorpe had Wiggins winning over James were shooting and defense.
James finished his rookie season with 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game; Wiggins is currently averaging 12.0 points, 1.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game.
