Last night ESPN showed a glimpse into the future. After seeing all that Freshmen Julius Randle, Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins had to offer, it's clear why so many NBA teams are seduced by their talent and driven to such a drastic tanking extravaganza.
In the first game of the star-studded double-header, Randle led his #1 ranked Kentucky Wildcats against #2 ranked Michigan State. Trailing the entire game, Kentucky lost 78-74 despite a furious second-half comeback. But the real story has little to do with the outcome of the game. Randle ended the game with 27 points and 13 rebounds, his third straight double-double. But perhaps most impressive in this monster performance, was the resilience the young phenom showed. Struggling mightily to get going in the first half, and suffering from turnover problems all night, Randle was never discouraged. Fighting through double and triple teams for most of the night, he looked like a man amongst boys.
In any other year, Julius Randle would be the consensus number 1 pick in the NBA draft, but this isn't like any other year. When Duke and Kansas faced off following the Julius Randle show, Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker proved why NBA GMs are drooling over the talent in the 2014 draft. In the first half, Parker left no doubt as to who the more polished player is. This is of no surprise to me however. I expected Jabari to play with a chip on his shoulder all season considering he was formerly the top recruit in the country before Wiggins reclassified. Jabari was also on the cover of Sports Illustrated more than a year ago, long before Wiggins and his mangy afro graced newsstands. The second half was a different story however. With the game tightening, Wiggins blew it open with transition dunks and a VERY NBA-looking step back jumper. Jabari finished with 27 points and 9 rebounds while Wiggins tallied 22 points and 8 boards.
Despite stellar performances from all 3 stars, what I most took away from the games last night was that Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins and Julius Randle, are all younger than me. They're on ESPN as well as the minds of every basketball fan in America. And I have this blog. So that's demoralizing. But It's unfair to compare myself to them in terms of current success. I had dreams of playing D-1 ball, but after realizing that I'm barely 5'8", have hands the size of an 11-year-old girls and have maybe average at best athleticism, I decided to pursue a different career path. And much like the development of their basketball skill sets, I have a long way to go. Sure they'll all be millionaires this time next year and I'll still be a broke college student with nothing more than this blog, but I feel emotionally invested in them. Like they represent my generation. These players are destined for stardom, and I can't wait watch them dominate. But even more so, I can't wait to grow up with them, even if it's from afar.
No comments:
Post a Comment