Of course Duke fans want to see Jabari Parker go first in the NBA Draft this year but thinking beyond the prestige of hearing your name first and having that be something people remember for years to come. The most important aspect of this draft, in my opinion, for the young Parker is landing in a favorable situation. It should be much more important to land with an organization that can use his talents and foster his growth as a player and person. Yes, I know getting to the league is getting to the league but the league is littered with teams that really have no idea what they are doing and where they are going. Parker will clearly land somewhere, but given the choice to be the first pick or the pick that lands in the best situation I would choose the latter. There is a certain amount of pressure that comes with becoming the number 1 pick in the draft, it’s a legacy to live up to that no kid should really have to worry about but it comes with the territory. I think whether it be Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker or even Dante Exum – the talent is there in each of these guys
This league (The NBA) is made up of these short-term contracts where you have to show your worth pretty soon in the game or you are either D-leagued or dumped. I’ll take the team with the best plan over the one with the lucky ping-ping ball any day.
Whichever squad lands Jabari Parker is getting an extremely talented young man who is, as all of the guys that are projected to go early, a quality person as well. Here are some moments I pieced together from earlier in the year. He may have had a short sojourn in Durham but he left some serious highlights and memories.
