Kobe Bryant, AKA the Black Mamba, was a sensational NBA player, and one of the greatest players in history. Ever since Kobe's retirement, it seems we will never see talent like his.
Or will we?
The next Kobe Bryant, the next great shooting guard, the next NBA superstar, is already in the league. His name is: Andrew Wiggins.
If you think Andrew Wiggins isn't even close to being on Kobe's level, think again. When Michael Jordan was nearing the end of his career, he passed the reins of being the NBA's best shooting guard on to Kobe Bryant. And now, Kobe Bryant is handing that title to Andrew Wiggins.
Well, other than that, Wiggins is already showing Kobe-like potential. Let's take a look at his stats, and compare them to Kobe's.
At the age of 19, in his rookie season, Andrew Wiggins averaged 16.9 points, 2.1 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game. At the same age, Kobe averaged 15.4 points, 2.5 assists, and 3.1 rebounds a game, except with 10 less minutes per game.
At the age of 20, Wiggins averaged 20.7 points, 2.0 assists, and 3.6 rebounds a game. Kobe, who got as many minutes as Wiggins at this age, averaged 19.9 points, 3.8 assists, and 5.3 rebounds a game.
As you can see, both Wiggins and Kobe put similar numbers at the same age. However, if you still aren't convinced, Wiggins and Kobe have several other similarities.
Kobe won many NBA championships throughout his career, and many people question if Wiggins will ever have the same supporting cast and the same ability to win as many championships as Kobe. However, the pieces for Wiggins to win are already in place.
Kobe had Shaquille O'Neal, one of the greatest and most dominant centers to ever play basketball. And now, Wiggins has Karl-Anthony Towns, a future superstar. Karl-Anthony Towns put up huge numbers as a rookie, and is being trained by Kevin Garnett and relentlessly growing his game. If you're still not convinced, take a look at this video.
Wiggins is also surrounded by young talent, which in 5 years, will grow together to become one of the best teams in the league.
I believe that Andrew Wiggins is the next Kobe Bryant, and his game has no ceiling. Whether you agree or disagree, one thing is certain: Wiggins definitely has a bright future.
Statistics courtesy of: http://www.basketball-reference.com/
Article courtesy of USA Today: http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/02/kobe-bryant-andrew-wiggins-michael-jordan-same-moves-video
Video courtesy of Mike Korzemba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVrTsKIWZyo
Or will we?
The next Kobe Bryant, the next great shooting guard, the next NBA superstar, is already in the league. His name is: Andrew Wiggins.
If you think Andrew Wiggins isn't even close to being on Kobe's level, think again. When Michael Jordan was nearing the end of his career, he passed the reins of being the NBA's best shooting guard on to Kobe Bryant. And now, Kobe Bryant is handing that title to Andrew Wiggins.
Well, other than that, Wiggins is already showing Kobe-like potential. Let's take a look at his stats, and compare them to Kobe's.
At the age of 19, in his rookie season, Andrew Wiggins averaged 16.9 points, 2.1 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game. At the same age, Kobe averaged 15.4 points, 2.5 assists, and 3.1 rebounds a game, except with 10 less minutes per game.
At the age of 20, Wiggins averaged 20.7 points, 2.0 assists, and 3.6 rebounds a game. Kobe, who got as many minutes as Wiggins at this age, averaged 19.9 points, 3.8 assists, and 5.3 rebounds a game.
As you can see, both Wiggins and Kobe put similar numbers at the same age. However, if you still aren't convinced, Wiggins and Kobe have several other similarities.
Kobe won many NBA championships throughout his career, and many people question if Wiggins will ever have the same supporting cast and the same ability to win as many championships as Kobe. However, the pieces for Wiggins to win are already in place.
Kobe had Shaquille O'Neal, one of the greatest and most dominant centers to ever play basketball. And now, Wiggins has Karl-Anthony Towns, a future superstar. Karl-Anthony Towns put up huge numbers as a rookie, and is being trained by Kevin Garnett and relentlessly growing his game. If you're still not convinced, take a look at this video.
Wiggins is also surrounded by young talent, which in 5 years, will grow together to become one of the best teams in the league.
I believe that Andrew Wiggins is the next Kobe Bryant, and his game has no ceiling. Whether you agree or disagree, one thing is certain: Wiggins definitely has a bright future.
Statistics courtesy of: http://www.basketball-reference.com/
Article courtesy of USA Today: http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/02/kobe-bryant-andrew-wiggins-michael-jordan-same-moves-video
Video courtesy of Mike Korzemba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVrTsKIWZyo
Comments
Post a Comment