Minnesota Sports Forum

Comparing players from the Cavs and Bulls. Below is a look at reviewing how they did in the summer league.

Andrew Wiggins | SG | Cleveland Cavaliers
In his first summer league game, Wiggins was matched up against Milwaukee's Jabari Parker. Wiggins quickly made it clear he had heard his limit of the "not assertive enough" criticism that echoed during his season at Kansas and through the NBA draft.


Wiggins was aggressive with his shot attempts throughout the week. What jumped out at me (I had seen Wiggins play as a high schooler) was the potential he has to be the best racer in the game (I was reminded by Kevin Pelton that Wiggins' mother was a track star). Indeed, Wiggins has incredible upside as a transition finisher and as a perimeter defender, and he also should be an excellent 3-point shooter.

However, he struggled somewhat with play-creation, though most summer league teams don't have a lot of perimeter threats (or defenses focused on stopping the ball no matter who is standing ready to shoot behind the 3-point line) so the paint tends to be far more dense with helpers than we will see in the regular season.

As he learns to read defenses, Wiggins should be an excellent straight line driver. He is not someone who forces plays often, which garners criticism more than it should. He looks to make the easy -- and correct -- play most of the time, a talent that will be even more noticeable and appreciated as he improves and draws defensive attention.

One NBA head coach told me: "[Wiggins] is three to five years away from being a top-5 player in this league." I agree with that assessment, provided he is in Cleveland with coach David Blatt and LeBron James. Both of them would help Wiggins grow as a player the right way.


VS

Doug McDermott | SF | Chicago Bulls
I have a simple theory about shooters: Players who made 38 percent or better of their 3-pointers through three of four years of college should be great NBA shooters. McDermott never made less than 40 percent of his deep shots in four years of high-level college basketball, so it's very likely we're going to see the same thing from him as a pro.

Summer league got him off to a good start, as he made 11 of his first 21 3s (before going 1-6 in his last game, his fifth game in six days). With the Bulls, he will enjoy many weeks of making half of his 3-point shots -- that's how good a shooter he is.

But he also showed what a solid all-around basketball player he is; no surprise given his success at Creighton. However, given how well players improve under coach Tom Thibodeau, and considering the level at which McDermott already is playing, he has a real chance to grow into a star, or at least very close to one.

Flip has commented on numerous occasions about the need to have more two-way players. He has also said he needs to win now.

I know Bennett's name has been tossed around quite often. But Wiggins and Thompson make more sense to me...

I'm all in for wiggins. That has been my stance since before the draft and now moreso that it became realistic to get him for love. Star potential is what he has and what I want I return for giving up a top ten player.

I like McDermott. He reminds me of an all time fav wolf of mine in Wally Szczerbiak combine with Peja. But between him and wiggins, il take wiggins ten times out of ten. It's easier to find a McDermott type than it is to find a wiggins level talent. I really hope a deal is in place already with the cavs.

I like Wiggins better then McDermott. I think McDermott will be a better Wally. I also like Miritoc. I think he is as Ryan Anderson type player. So I see both as near all-stars with McDermott possibly an all-star.

Wiggns has MVP upside and solid starter downside. I will be happy with either scenario.

I'm a big McDermott fan - and not a huge Wiggins fan - relative to their value. That being said Andrew Wiggins has a lot more value than Doug McDermott if for no other reason than the fact that he's 3X as athletic which leads to easier and higher percentage shots.

As the author of the article above states, McDermott consistently made a high percentage of his 3-point shots AND did it in high volume. He did this year after year, making the sample size even more statistically significant. And he's not just a long-range gunner. The guy proved that he can score from all over the floor in a variety of ways.

What could happen is that McDermott could become the small forward version of Stephen Curry. You don't average 27PPG with a 65 TS% without being extremely skilled.

I would be very careful to assume that it's automatic that Wiggins will be the better player just because he can jump high and run faster.

I've already said McDermott's the better player right now and will likely have a better, more rounded offensive game through both of their respective careers. The difference between the two is age, upside, defense and athleticism. I love me some McD, but Wiggins is the better prospect.

I agree with Q on McDermott, but I also have reservations on making a deal with Chicago where our two future assets are both limited defensively. The wolves have continually built teams that lack athleticism, and have failed to develop the few players we have had that didn't.

Pek is an anchor is more ways than one (good and bad), and I can't see him and Mirotic doing well together on D. Offensively they seem like a good match. Putting those two on the floor with McDemott seems like a recipe for disaster.

sjm34 wrote:I agree with Q on McDermott, but I also have reservations on making a deal with Chicago where our two future assets are both limited defensively. The wolves have continually built teams that lack athleticism, and have failed to develop the few players we have had that didn't.

Pek is an anchor is more ways than one (good and bad), and I can't see him and Mirotic doing well together on D. Offensively they seem like a good match. Putting those two on the floor with McDemott seems like a recipe for disaster.

Lets say you Chicago gives you Butler, Mirotic and McDermott.

Rubio, Butler, McDermott, Mirotic, and Dieng is not a bad defensive team. You would have 3 plus defenders. The question to me is how good do we think Mirotic is.



That article makes him sound like a pretty good defender.

"Mirotic brings a high level Euro-esque skill set of craftiness around the rim and dead-eye shooting ability from deep. But pump the breaks before you label Mirotic as just another European. He brings a weapon that most Euros don't possess - versatility. Mirotic was the only player in the Euroleague to rank in the Top 15 in scoring, steals, blocks, and player efficiency rating. Steals and blocks? A Euro big man playing defense? I won't go out on a limb here and say he's Serge Ibaka in the paint, but he is definitely not a stiff (breathe a sigh of relief folks, he's not Darko).

Mirotic held his opponents to 28 percent from the field and a 20 percent turnover rate when guarding in isolation situations. This will bode well with defensive mad scientist Tom Thibodeau at the helm in Chicago. At 6-foot-10, a wingspan over seven feet, and mobility, Mirotic brings the ability to guard a wing as well as bang with a forward down low. Well 'bang' might be a little of an overstatement, but we'll talk about that later."

- See more at: http://hoopshype.com/columns/david-nurse/who-is-nikola-mirotic#sthash.hOUbnirW.dpuf


Starting to think the Bulls have the best deal on the table. Landing here he would have Pek to help the transition. I am sure he wouldn't mind coming here compared to what other reports say.

Cleveland certainly needs to include Wiggins and Waiters in trade to trump what the bulls have. It will be interesting.

Including Wiggins alone is what makes CLE's offer better than CHI's. If Flip is able to get Waiters too, then he's putting in serious work. One potential star >> Three potential starters