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ESPN Senior Writer- Senior NBA Writer for ESPN.com
- ESPN Insider NBA Draft Analyst since 2002
- Writes ESPN's NBA Draft Top 100 and Lottery Mock Draft
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ESPN Senior Writer- Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus series
- Formerly a consultant with the Indiana Pacers
- Developed WARP rating and SCHOENE system
ESPN Insider's Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton return to provide the kind of discussions that are happening in front offices around the NBA -- where scouts and statistical experts are breaking down NBA draft prospects using their "eyes, ears and numbers."
Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Andrew Wiggins plays Wednesday night (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Ford ranked him No. 1 on his final Big Board of 2014 and he ended up being the No. 1 pick.
Question: We're 33 games into the season. Was Wiggins the right selection with the No. 1 pick?
Chad Ford: I think so. Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid were the only three real choices for the No. 1 pick. Embiid likely would have topped our final Big Board had he not broken his foot during pre-draft workouts. Combine that with the back problems he suffered toward the end of the season and he was just too risky to take at No. 1.
Parker was more polished -- the sure thing. But I always believed, and most scouts agreed, that Wiggins had more upside. When you are drafting No. 1, you aren't just thinking about a player's rookie season; you are thinking about who he'll be in five years, and Wiggins had a much higher ceiling, in my opinion.