Advertisement

Andrew Wiggins quiet but confident as NBA Draft approaches: ‘I want to be No. 1′

Andrew Wiggins has a reputation for being quiet. That doesn't mean he's not confident going into the NBA draft – and with good reason.

He averaged 17.1 points per game and 5.9 rebounds as a freshman at Kansas and his college coach Bill Self has touted Wiggins as a potential multi-time All-Star. The 19-year-old recently wowed both front offices and fans with his incredible vertical leap.

Wiggins tells NBA TV's Steve Smith that being the No. 1 pick in the June 26 draft would be a dream come true.

"I want to be [the No. 1 pick]. That's a big dream of mine, I want to be the No. 1 player. Just to have that label, just to be recognized as the best, because everybody wants to be the best. No matter what sport you play, no matter if it's in the classroom, everyone wants to be the best at what they do. You know, obviously I want to be the best, I want to have that label. I want people to see me as the No. 1 basketball player.

Going No. 1 this year would mean joining fellow Canadians Tristan Thompson and Anthony Bennett with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who won the NBA's draft lottery just over two weeks ago despite only having a 1.7% chance of landing the top selection.

Wiggins, his Kansas teammate Joel Embiid, and Duke freshman Jabari Parker are widely considered this year's best incoming prospects and the Cavaliers are expected to select one of the three.

Yahoo's Marc Spears' has Wiggins going No. 2 overall to Milwaukee in his latest mock draft but here's how the top three shakes out in eight mock drafts, five of which see Wiggins realize his dream of being the first overall selection.

No. 1 - Cleveland

No. 2 - Milwaukee

No. 3 - Philadelphia

ESPN

Andrew Wiggins, Kansas

Joel Embiid, Kansas

Jabari Parker, Duke

Draft Express

Wiggins

Parker

Embiid

CBS Sports

Wiggins

Embiid

Parker

NBA.com

Wiggins

Embiid

Parker

TSN.ca

Wiggins

Embiid

Parker

Yahoo

Parker

Wiggins

Embiid

Sports Illustrated

Embiid

Wiggins

Parker

FOX Sports

Parker

Embiid

Wiggins