NBA Draft: Who's your first pick?

As I watch the NCAA tournament, I watch through a number of different eyes:

1. I watch through the eyes of a bracket owner (though that's been busted for a long time now so I don't look through those eyes for long).
2. I watch through the eyes of a fan of the tournament and everything that makes it great.
3. I watch through the eyes of a Sixers fan. Knowing that in a few months we'll be talking about a new season with a new franchise player.

And I think that's how we have to view these players as they enter the draft. No, the tournament isn't the end all be all of how a player will be in the NBA, but if a player really steps it up or shuts it down, it can be a telling sign.

I'll talk a little about the top guys and what the tournament has taught me about them.

Andrew Wiggins: 

This guy didn't quite live up to the amazing hype he was given all pre-season. Don't get me wrong, the guy is a great athlete and you can't teach some of the abilities he naturally has. He had an okay game against Eastern Kentucky racking up 19 points. Maybe he knew he didn't have to give his all against this weak team. Then in the Stanford game he completely shrunk. He admits he should have stepped it up, and claims that if he had, Kansas would have won. But would they? How hard would he have had to push himself to go from 4 points to, say even 8? Does he just not have it in him in the big game? If it was just a somewhat disappointing regular season, I would chalk it up to the media's overhype, but this extra disappointing tournament definitely gives me pause.

Jabari Parker:

The regular season standout against Wiggin's lack luster attempt, Parker has been considered the "safe bet" where Wiggins has the upside. He's Averaging 19 points and 8 rebounds a game and in a good situation could be a solid reliable player on the perimeter. Problem is, he's probably not going to a "good" situation. And when he is counted on to be the one and only guy, as we saw in Duke's game against Mercer, he has a problem getting up above that safe range of 20 and 10. Parker has to improve his shooting percentage, along with becoming a better facilitator, if he's going to be a dominant force on an NBA team.

Julius Randle:

This guy's something else. Probably not in the running for the first overall pick, but a dynamic player none the less. He leads college basketball in double doubles this season and the best part is, he's still alive in the tournament. The eye test shows he's much grittier than his higher ranked counterparts. He seems to have a will to win that's greater than the others. This could just be because I saw him play in a Sweet 16 game and the others didn't get that chance. He also seems to have players around him who are willing to step up and have that ability. Parker and Wiggins kind of always have to be the guy or else the team folds. All in all, Randle appears to be a similar player to Parker, though I feel Parker comes out on top as the better Forward. He's got intangibles, however, that make me think he could light up on a bigger stage.

Who knows where these guys will go. NBA teams have to draft for need in addition to best player. And who knows where Joel Embiid and the kid from Austrailia fit into this? Not me. Because they weren't in the tournament.