Jabari Parker To Make Draft Decision Wednesday: The Case For And Against Him Staying
ByJabari Parker will make his draft decision today (Wednesday), ESPN reported.
When I saw that, I quickly typed into Google, "betting odds of Jabari Parker staying at Duke," but couldn't find a single entity taking an official wager on the event. If they did, the odds would be high, something like 100-to-1.
"It's a very tough decision, especially potentially leaving behind my coach and the program that really helped me out this year, so I really have to keep them in consideration in this whole process," Parker said Friday on ESPNLA 710.
The case for Parker staying:
-Few players play as hard (on offense at least) as Parker, meaning he must have taken the Blue Devil's first round loss more personally than most blue-chippers. He'll still go down as one of Duke's most talented players, but that's where his legacy ends without having won even a single tournament game. Shane Battier, who became just a solid professional, is still light years ahead in the hierarchy of Blue Devil lore.
-College. For most, the benefits a college campus are not nearly as convincing as an NBA lifestyle, but for a more unique case like Parker, it might be more of a draw.
-Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones, or the number one and number four ranked recruits (according to ESPN top 100) who'll be attending Duke next year. Okafor, like Parker, is from Chicago and the two are long-time friends. That smells like a championship recipe.
-The number one pick is his next year. This year, he might drop as far as third behind Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins.
The case for Parker leaving:
-Not only more than anybody in this draft class, but more than anybody since Kevin Durant, Parker's game is ready-made for the NBA. He's almost a 20 point per game guy right now, a first year feat that almost always means future superstar-dome. Further, Duke's less than impressive offensive scheme combined with the tenacity of college defenses seem to squash some of his abilities.
-He'll be part of an historic draft class. More than that, he'll become a free agent the same time as Embiid, Wiggins, and the lot. That factor became a huge deal for Lebron, Wade, and Bosh.
-The NBA doesn't usually reward those who wait. It didn't reward Marcus Smart at least. A few years ago, it did, however, pay off for Blake Griffin.