2014 NBA Draft Scouting Report: Jabari Parker



Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, and David Kay of the The Sports Bank.
Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
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2014 NBA Draft Scouting Report: Jabari Parker


Position: Small Forward

Size: 6-8, 235

School: Duke, Freshman


Strengths:
  • All-around scorer
  • Three-point shooter
  • Step-back jumper
  • Mid-range game
  • Pull-up jump shot
  • Effective low post scorer
  • Creating his own shot off the bounce
  • Ball handling
  • Solid athleticism
  • NBA-ready body
  • Length helps him defensively
  • High-character kid




  • Weaknesses:
  • Lateral quickness, will struggle guarding NBA small forwards
  • Post defender
  • Tends to fall asleep defensively
  • Lacks NBA-level explosiveness at the rim


  • Summary: Jabari Parker is one of the most complete offensive players in college basketball, which is why he will be in the discussion for the top-overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Parker may not have the athleticism or upside of Andrew Wiggins or Joel Embiid from Kansas, but Parker is ready to contribute right away at the next level. He should be a big-time scorer in the NBA due to his offensive versatility. The defensive end is where most concerns emerge about Parker.

    Player Comparison: A mix between Luol Deng and Kevin Durant. Parker is a Luol Deng-type scorer with his versatility as an inside/outside threat, but Parker has better handles and can create for himself more than Deng. Sprinkle a bit of Durant or Carmelo Anthony in there as well since Parker shows terrific scoring ability already for a teenager, but I am not near ready to say Parker will consistently average 25-30 points per game during his career like Durant and Anthony have. Parker could … but I’m not ready to go there. Therefore, he will be a better Deng, but not as good Durant/Anthony.







    RELATED LINKS:


    2014 NBA Mock Draft


    2015 NBA Mock Draft


    2014 NBA Draft Prospect Rankings


    2014 NBA Draft Scouting Reports








    Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, and David Kay of the The Sports Bank.
    Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
    All other e-mail, including advertising and link proposals, send to: [email protected]




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