ST. LOUIS – After scoring four points on one of six shooting, highly touted Canadian frosh phenom—and projected top lottery pick—Andrew Wiggins may have been exposed as overrated.
Wiggins, 19, averaged 28 points in his previous four games, may have played his last game for the Kansas Jayhawks(25-10) who were upset by 10th-seeded Stanford, 60-57 in the South Regional.
During the 2013-14 season, the 6’8, 200-pound native of Thornhill, Ontario averaged 17.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists. In the loss to the cardinal, Wiggins would prove to be ineffective on offense as he turned the ball over four times. If NBA teams hoping to land Wiggins were watching Sunday’s game, they had better take notice of his inability to guard, suspect ball-handling and questionable shot selection.
While many in the Great White North see current Los Angeles Lakers point guard, Steve Nash as the current face of Canadian basketball, Wiggins was perceived as the new generation of hoops in a country better known for hockey, curling, ice skating and maple syrup.
The way Wiggins looked Sunday, he looked more like Canada Dry ginger ale, than the NBA’s projected top overall pick.
While Kansas was without big man, Joel Embiid, and Stanford’s 1-3-1 zone defense may have been factors, Wiggins is the big draw and face of Kansas, right?
Thanks to the notable struggles of fellow Canadian in 2013 top overall pick, Anthony Bennett of the Cleveland cavaliers, Wiggins—whom some experts called the Canadian version of LeBron—may need to reassess their evaluation and realize that he is not worth of being the top overall pick and is another case of sensationalized hype.
While it’s not fair to label such a young and promising talent as Wiggins as overrated, if his last game as a Jayhawk is any indication to NBA teams, Wiggins would be wise to stay in Lawrence another year and develop his game more before becoming a victim of his own press clippings.