Tank-O-Meter...2015 edition

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Is Clyde Drexler, Andrew Wiggins' ceiling? I've been thinking about that as the season's gone along because it bugs me that there's not a perfect comparison.

Where I always get stuck on Wiggins is the non-scoring stuff - rebounds and making plays for others in particular. Rebounding generally translates from college to the NBA right away. He's not very good compared to all-time great wings. Making plays for others takes longer to come to fruition with elite wings and I think he has pretty solid passing instincts. But still, I have a hard time seeing him get up to 5+ assists per game.

That's why I just don't see the ceiling of guys like LeBron, Jordan, Wade, Kobe, and even Drexler. These guys were do-it-all types that could run the offense from the wing, grab rebounds, and score in bunches.

I do think he can be a very, very good scorer and wing defender. He's young enough to prove me wrong, but it's just hard for me to envision Drexler or Drexler-plus (i.e. Jordan and LeBron).

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

Passing lanes tend to open up when the defense has to collapse on you and double you all the time when you drive to the bucket. He already passes out of double teams decently. He just needs to learn to find the open big at the rim when the defense collapses on him at the rim. I don't think he'll be a great playmaker for others, but I think he'll make the smart plays which could get him up to 4-5 APG's.

[Coolbreeze44]

Is Clyde Drexler, Andrew Wiggins' ceiling? I've been thinking about that as the season's gone along because it bugs me that there's not a perfect comparison.

Where I always get stuck on Wiggins is the non-scoring stuff - rebounds and making plays for others in particular. Rebounding generally translates from college to the NBA right away. He's not very good compared to all-time great wings. Making plays for others takes longer to come to fruition with elite wings and I think he has pretty solid passing instincts. But still, I have a hard time seeing him get up to 5+ assists per game.

That's why I just don't see the ceiling of guys like LeBron, Jordan, Wade, Kobe, and even Drexler. These guys were do-it-all types that could run the offense from the wing, grab rebounds, and score in bunches.

I do think he can be a very, very good scorer and wing defender. He's young enough to prove me wrong, but it's just hard for me to envision Drexler or Drexler-plus (i.e. Jordan and LeBron).

He will be better than Drexler because he's already a better defender than Clyde. He can also score in more ways. I don't think people realize how good of a post up player Andrew is for his age. Clyde was never that. Living in Portland I saw an awful lot of Clyde. I'd be surprised if Andrew doesn't become a better player.

I think the best comparison is Grant Hill with one exception. Grant could play the point, and I don't see Andrew being able to do that. But athletically, defensively, smarts, ability to get to the line - they are very similar in those ways. Grant again wasn't the post up force Andrew is.

I can see Andrew winning an MVP some day. He will make many all star teams. He will probably be a defensive player of the year down the road. But all I really care about is him winning a championship in Minnesota. Just one is all I need.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

There has been a serious high jacking of the TOM thread!!!!!

Getting back to the issue at hand, as expected, the Nuggets responded favorably to Brian Shaw's removal and beat the Bucks. Denver is now 7 1/2 games ahead of the Wolves (4 ahead of the Wolves in the TOM wins forecast) and no longer a serious concern.

More interesting now is the chance of finishing behind the Lakers in the 3rd spot. The Lakers seem to be adjusting to life without Kobe, and are quietly playing better basketball...they came close to upsetting the Hornets in Charlotte last night. While the TOM still has the wolves finishing 3 games ahead of the Lakers, we still sit 3 games behind them in the standings and finishing third is not out of the question. Unfortunately, the TOM has the Lakers losing 13 games in a row beginning with OkC on March 24, so they still look likely to finish behind the Wolves. But finishing 3rd rather than 4th would be huge for us.





Now, as for the Drexler/Wiggins comparison...I loved Clyde the Glide, but Wigs is already a much better long-distance shooter than Drexler ever was.

[AbeVigodaLive]

There has been a serious high jacking of the TOM thread!!!!!

Getting back to the issue at hand, as expected, the Nuggets responded favorably to Brian Shaw's removal and beat the Bucks. Denver is now 7 1/2 games ahead of the Wolves (4 ahead of the Wolves in the TOM wins forecast) and no longer a serious concern.

More interesting now is the chance of finishing behind the Lakers in the 3rd spot. The Lakers seem to be adjusting to life without Kobe, and are quietly playing better basketball...they came close to upsetting the Hornets in Charlotte last night. While the TOM still has the wolves finishing 3 games ahead of the Lakers, we still sit 3 games behind them in the standings and finishing third is not out of the question. Unfortunately, the TOM has the Lakers losing 13 games in a row beginning with OkC on March 24, so they still look likely to finish behind the Wolves. But finishing 3rd rather than 4th would be huge for us.





Now, as for the Drexler/Wiggins comparison...I loved Clyde the Glide, but Wigs is already a much better long-distance shooter than Drexler ever was.

1. Seems like the Lin's resurgence with the young guard (Crawford) is working out well for the Lakers... or... err... Wolves.

2. That's fine to say that Wiggins is already a "much better" long-distance shooter than Drexler. But there's a hint of "and with all else being equal" to it... even thought I don't think that was your intent. Because Clyde Drexler was a very versatile player and one of the best SGs in NBA history. Wiggins has a long way to go to catch Drexler. It will take a ton of effort and continuous improvement... and even a bit of luck. The potential may be there, but a lot more goes into it than that.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

There has been a serious high jacking of the TOM thread!!!!!

Getting back to the issue at hand, as expected, the Nuggets responded favorably to Brian Shaw's removal and beat the Bucks. Denver is now 7 1/2 games ahead of the Wolves (4 ahead of the Wolves in the TOM wins forecast) and no longer a serious concern.

More interesting now is the chance of finishing behind the Lakers in the 3rd spot. The Lakers seem to be adjusting to life without Kobe, and are quietly playing better basketball...they came close to upsetting the Hornets in Charlotte last night. While the TOM still has the wolves finishing 3 games ahead of the Lakers, we still sit 3 games behind them in the standings and finishing third is not out of the question. Unfortunately, the TOM has the Lakers losing 13 games in a row beginning with OkC on March 24, so they still look likely to finish behind the Wolves. But finishing 3rd rather than 4th would be huge for us.





Now, as for the Drexler/Wiggins comparison...I loved Clyde the Glide, but Wigs is already a much better long-distance shooter than Drexler ever was.

1. Seems like the Lin's resurgence with the young guard (Crawford) is working out well for the Lakers... or... err... Wolves.

2. That's fine to say that Wiggins is already a "much better" long-distance shooter than Drexler. But there's a hint of "and with all else being equal" to it... even thought I don't think that was your intent. Because Clyde Drexler was a very versatile player and one of the best SGs in NBA history. Wiggins has a long way to go to catch Drexler. It will take a ton of effort and continuous improvement... and even a bit of luck. The potential may be there, but a lot more goes into it than that.

Good point about the impact of Lin and the young SG (I think you meant Clarkson, not Crawford). Both have been solid recently...keeping our #3 hopes alive.

I actually don't see Drexler as a good comp for Wigs at all. I don't think Wigs will ever approach Clyde's ability to distribute or his rebounding, but I think he will be a much better 3-point shooter and defender. They have different strengths and weaknesses, so not a good comp.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

"I loved Clyde the Glide, but Wigs is already a much better long-distance shooter than Drexler ever was."

This isn't true, certainly not by the numbers. Wiggins has the potential to be a good shooter, but so far he's average at best. He's going to earn his points at the rim, much like Clyde did.

[AbeVigodaLive]

There has been a serious high jacking of the TOM thread!!!!!

Getting back to the issue at hand, as expected, the Nuggets responded favorably to Brian Shaw's removal and beat the Bucks. Denver is now 7 1/2 games ahead of the Wolves (4 ahead of the Wolves in the TOM wins forecast) and no longer a serious concern.

More interesting now is the chance of finishing behind the Lakers in the 3rd spot. The Lakers seem to be adjusting to life without Kobe, and are quietly playing better basketball...they came close to upsetting the Hornets in Charlotte last night. While the TOM still has the wolves finishing 3 games ahead of the Lakers, we still sit 3 games behind them in the standings and finishing third is not out of the question. Unfortunately, the TOM has the Lakers losing 13 games in a row beginning with OkC on March 24, so they still look likely to finish behind the Wolves. But finishing 3rd rather than 4th would be huge for us.





Now, as for the Drexler/Wiggins comparison...I loved Clyde the Glide, but Wigs is already a much better long-distance shooter than Drexler ever was.

1. Seems like the Lin's resurgence with the young guard (Crawford) is working out well for the Lakers... or... err... Wolves.

2. That's fine to say that Wiggins is already a "much better" long-distance shooter than Drexler. But there's a hint of "and with all else being equal" to it... even thought I don't think that was your intent. Because Clyde Drexler was a very versatile player and one of the best SGs in NBA history. Wiggins has a long way to go to catch Drexler. It will take a ton of effort and continuous improvement... and even a bit of luck. The potential may be there, but a lot more goes into it than that.

Good point about the impact of Lin and the young SG (I think you meant Clarkson, not Crawford). Both have been solid recently...keeping our #3 hopes alive.



I actually don't see Drexler as a good comp for Wigs at all. I don't think Wigs will ever approach Clyde's ability to distribute or his rebounding, but I think he will be a much better 3-point shooter and defender. They have different strengths and weaknesses, so not a good comp.

Yes. Clarkson, dammit. I even picked him up in fantasy basketball. I should probably learn his name, eventually.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

"I loved Clyde the Glide, but Wigs is already a much better long-distance shooter than Drexler ever was."

This isn't true, certainly not by the numbers. Wiggins has the potential to be a good shooter, but so far he's average at best. He's going to earn his points at the rim, much like Clyde did.

I'm not sure why you think the numbers don't show Wigs is superior to Clyde in 3-point shooting. Wigs is almost 35% this year beyond the arc, and while Clyde improved later in his career and finished close to 32%, he was under 30% his first 7 seasons. I'm impressed that Wigs is close to 35% at age 19 playing in a Saunders system that doesn't provide as many open 3-point looks as other offensive systems. Wigs will probably play most of his career with another coach who will likely be more inclined to structure the offense around the 3-point shot (right, q?), and Wiggins should improve on his 35% as he develops.

[mjs34]

Is Clyde Drexler, Andrew Wiggins' ceiling? I've been thinking about that as the season's gone along because it bugs me that there's not a perfect comparison.

Where I always get stuck on Wiggins is the non-scoring stuff - rebounds and making plays for others in particular. Rebounding generally translates from college to the NBA right away. He's not very good compared to all-time great wings. Making plays for others takes longer to come to fruition with elite wings and I think he has pretty solid passing instincts. But still, I have a hard time seeing him get up to 5+ assists per game.

That's why I just don't see the ceiling of guys like LeBron, Jordan, Wade, Kobe, and even Drexler. These guys were do-it-all types that could run the offense from the wing, grab rebounds, and score in bunches.

I do think he can be a very, very good scorer and wing defender. He's young enough to prove me wrong, but it's just hard for me to envision Drexler or Drexler-plus (i.e. Jordan and LeBron).

While I don't see Wiggins handing out the 5 ast, I think that has more to do with his lack of shooters, and playing next to a PG like Rubio. Guys like Lebron, Jordan, Kobe, etc. did not play next to pass first PGs. They had guys that could knock down shots, giving them an outlet when they drove and kicked it out.

Rebounding is something that I think Wiggins will excel at. It is going to take some time for him to fill out, but I see that part of his game having the most upside. He has a long wingspan, incredible hops, and is a hard worker.

I see no reason not to expect Wiggins to post big numbers across the board (other than ast) as he matures physically. My one concern is how much his handle improves. That is the one limiting factor I see with his game, and will determine whether he is mentioned with guys like kobe, MJ, and Lebron.