Jimmy Patsos says Maryland center Jalen Smith can be a starter in the NBA for 10 years, but he cautions that Aaron Wiggins would sit on the bench if he declares for the draft and latches on with a team.
“I don’t want him to go to the [NBA Draft] Combine because I want him to stay at Maryland,” Patsos said of Wiggins on Glenn Clark Radio March 3. “Yeah, I want him to be an All-American. I want him to be drafted seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th, 11th, 12th. I also want the Terps to win. I’m just worried that the kid is not ready to sit.”
Patsos, an analyst for NBC Sports Washington, was the head coach at Loyola (2004-2013) and Siena (2013-2018) and an assistant coach at Maryland (1991-2004) under then-head coach Gary Williams. Patsos believes Wiggins would stand out at the Combine despite his struggles shooting this year (30.7 percent from 3-point range after shooting 41.3 percent last year).
“Wiggins would scare the heck out of me because he measures, he shoots it well, he’s going to shoot it well in drills and he’s made big shots. He made big shots last year,” Patsos said. “I don’t want to see him slide to 28th or 29th.”
