After a very disappointing early exit in this year’s NCAA Tournament, Kansas SF Andrew Wiggins is ready to take his talents to the NBA after announcing his decision to declare for the draft at a press conference today. It is no surprise that the Canadian Jayhawk freshman is leaving for the big leagues, because ever since he committed to Kansas, he has been thought of as the top prospect for the NBA Draft. He is likely to be one of the first three players selected when the draft rolls around this June and the overall #1 pick in some mock drafts already.
Wiggins had his ups and downs while at Kansas, but did turn it up once conference play got underway for the Jayhawks. Over the course of the entire season Wiggins was able to notch just over 17 ppg, while reeling in 5.9 rebounds per contest.
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With Wiggins declaring for the draft today, all eyes now turn to Kansas center Joel Embiid and Duke’s Jabari Parker, who could be the next players to declare.
Embiid is expected by many to leave for the NBA and is considered as another likely candidate for the top pick in the draft. His main concern is how injury prone he will be after hurting his back, which put him out of the NCAA Tournament.
In the case of Jabari Parker, whether he stays or goes is not as clear cut. There were already reports of him staying for another year, mostly because of the stacked recruiting class coming into Duke next season and of course, his good friend Jahlil Okafor.