#Which sucked because by that point I was already in love with Porter whoops | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chloca-cola · 5 years

Text

Defenseless chapter 2

Heres my second chapter for my story!! I'm so thankful for the ones who've liked and/or reblogged my story so far!

TW: cursing, still some angst lmao

~~~~~

Higgs looked down at the canteen, turning it this way and that, before unscrewing the cap and shaking it upside holding his palm out beneath it. He scoffed, looking around half annoyed, before his mouth twisted in a frown.

"That little firecracker coulda put some water in it…" He shrugged, his mind quickly wondered, thinking about her still being able to teleport. Does that mean he could too? He pictured being a few feet away from his current spot and in a flash, he was there. "Thank fuck."

He sighed out, knowing he probably couldn't go back to his old bunker, he decided to continue to search for some shelter, even if it were just for the night.

He was glad to be off that beach, but damned if he wasn't aggravated that he had to stay away, couldn't take the chance of being seen, now that there were no concerns of a void out, people would probably have no qualms of killing someone like him.

His thoughts went back to Mara, sighing as he made his way to the nearby cliffside, knowing about a small building that he was sure was vacant. Had she forgiven him for what he had tried to do to her? Is that why she was willing to help him? Willing may have been a stretch, after she jabbed him right below his sternum. He smirked at that fresh memory, he kind of liked the fact she wasn't scared of him anymore.

Higgs grunted slightly, as he climbed, the rocks and moss rain slicked.

"Man, fuck this." He teleported to the top of the cliff, but dropped to a knee, pain shooting through his body, his frame shaking slightly. "The hell was that?"

"Why are you here?" A graveyard whisper that was trying its hardest to sound mean, a booted foot stomping down next to his hand. Mara.

"I just couldn't get enough of ya tryin' to kick my ass, sweetheart." He stated playfully, looking up at her, the pain still shocking his system and she cocked her head at him, frowning.

"My name is Mara, not sweetheart." She corrected him, squatting down, her head still tilted at him.

"It's...ya know what, nevermind." She scoffed at him, clasping her hands together.

"Are you lost? That is my house. Why are you here?" Higgs' blue eyes widened in a mix of shock and confusion.

"You live here? Oh, honey, there's no electricity." Higgs looked in the distance to her meager living quarters. Her brows furrowed, following his gaze before she shrugged, looking back at him as if she didn't understand why that was such a big deal.

"I sleep at night. No need for lights." The pain finally subsided and he straightened slightly and she leaned back from him, like a rabbit who was getting ready to bolt. "You are having withdrawals." She stated, matter of factly, standing back to her full height, before turning and walking away from him, the conversation over as far as she was concerned.

"Mara...wait." The lithe woman stopped, but didn't turn to face him, waiting for him to continue. "I'm...sorry for what I did to ya." She scoffed bitterly, finally looking over her shoulder at him, a scowl on her face.

"Sorry? That is all you have to say for yourself?" She turned back to him, muscles tensed to rush him. "Just because I refused to join your cause, you were going to kill me. In hope of causing a void out." She spat acidly, her voice straining as she tried to yell at him. He stood up, holding his arms outwards in a whoops manner.

"Had to do what I had to do, sweetheart." She growled at him, her green eyes suddenly cold as ice.

"You say you are sorry and then you turn around and say that?" In her fury she teleported right in front of him, standing on her tiptoes, still not being able to get in his face. "You tied me up, willing to kill me after I helped you. I saved your life once. You were wounded, left for dead and I helped you. And that was how you repaid me!" She jabbed her finger into his chest and he felt his own annoyance rising, not liking her poking him, eyes looking upward and taking in a deep calming breath, before locking eyes with her again. She could get her point across without the jabbing. He grabbed her hand, pulling it away from his chest.

"I said I was sorry, darlin'. Look...I know what I did was beyond heinous, I don't deserve your forgiveness, but it's eatin' me up inside." She pursed her full lips together tightly, giving him a ridiculously skeptical look, trying to pull free from his grip.

"Let me go, Higgs." She demanded hissing his name at him and he chuckled, leaning in close to her face against his better judgement since she was so feisty, she reared back as if she was going to head butt him, but he stopped her with his other hand. She growled and teleported out of his grasp and he stumbled forward slightly, before chuckling and shaking his head.

"I do love when a woman plays hard to get!" He turned in a full circle, holding his arms out again, daring her to come back and strike him, but she never did return.

Mara fell onto all fours, panting heavily, she hated these damned withdrawals. She punched the ground with her fist over and over, tears falling from her eyes. At least he does remember her, she honestly wasn't sure he would after he changed to what he had become. She knew something was different because when she knew him before he turned so...bad, he couldn't do hardly any of what powers he was using then. He had always been kind of envious that Mara could teleport, and then suddenly he was able to control BTs? However, even with all that, she didn't believe he felt sorry for what he did. She flopped onto her back and looked to the sky, remembering back to when she had found him.

She had no clue what caused him the injury, all she knew was that she needed to suture him up, he was too close to her house to die there. She had survived too long avoiding all of this for him to screw it up. She helped him stand and took his to a nearby cave to shield them both just in case any Timefall came. She helped remove his gear and unzipped his jumpsuit, revealing a wound that wasn't necessarily bad, but if left alone he would bleed out or at least get a nasty infection that would kill him.

He was weak from the blood loss he suffered already, and she removed her own coat and then overshirt, wadding it into a ball for him to bite down on.

"Here, you will need this. This will hurt." She stated to him, shaking the shirt at him, and once he finally took it from her, she pulled out her medical kit, digging for the suture needle and medical thread.

"D'ya know what you're doin', darlin'?"

"Mara." She said monotonely, as she readied her needle, scooting on her knees towards him and he grabbed her hand.

"I asked ya a question." She gave him the flat stare of a lizard, before lifting her shirt a little too high, revealing more to him than she should have. But living away from society for so much of her life, social grace was lost on her. Higgs' mouth opened slightly at the eye full he got, a slight blush dusting his cheeks, and he tried to hyper focus on the silvery scars that marked her stomach, which only made the fact he was trying not to stare at her chest more obvious, though it was unnoticed by Mara. She had been injured often fighting with MULEs for their supplies, by trial and error she figure out what she was doing. He raised his hand, pushing her arms down to cover her chest, before he continued to speak.

"Ok, so ya know what you're doin'." He conceded, stuffing the shirt into his mouth.

"Like I needed you to tell me that." She retorted in her no nonsense manner, dropping her shirt back in place and grabbing a cloth to wipe the blood away from the wound, and cleaning it with what little bit of rubbing alcohol she had left. Higgs hissed around his makeshift gag as she worked, before pulling it out

"What are ya usin', a brillo pad?" There it was, the faintest smile, and she looked up at him and he got a good look at the left side of her face as her hair flopped out of her eye, a long vertical scar ran from her hair line cutting through her eyebrow down to her jaw.

"Do not be baby. I have heard newborns whine less than you." He smirked at her, relaxing slightly, as she got ready to close his wound.

"Was that a tease, honey?" Her eyes darted up to his but quickly back to her work, a small smile still playing on her lips.

"I can joke." He stuffed her shirt back into his mouth and tried not to focus on the feeling of the needle pulling and tugging at his flesh as she threaded him up.

She had stayed with him in that cave, making sure he got his strength back, making sure infection didn't set up, finding him crytobiotes to help him heal faster. She thought he was going to be like Sam, Higgs was a porter too, she had been so stupid. Higgs had seemed nice at first, he had went out of his way a few times to see if she needed anything actively looking for her in the valleys, but then something in him changed. It just caused her to drift farther away from trusting anyone, and then when he tried to kill her, it really sealed the deal.

Yet, here she was helping him once again, why couldn't she just stay away from him? Why did he have to be so damned charming? Why did it seem like fate had her tied to him no matter how they tried to sever that bond?

"Hey darlin', are ya ok?" She growled as Higgs' face came into view as he bent over her to check on her.

"Of course you are here." She sat up brushing her hair down and gathering it all over her left shoulder and he rested his hands on his knees, giving her a shit eating grin, pointing around the vast nothingness before landing on her house.

"It's gettin' dark." He stated nonchalantly and she frowned and shrugged.

"Sucks for you." She stood abruptly, staggering him backwards as he moved so she wouldn't knock him down.

"Oh come on, firecracker." She turned on her heel, marching towards her home. "I need shelter. Just for the night?" She slowed to a stop, sighing heavily, turning to look at him, the wind blowing her hair from her face, the silvery scar fainter now.

"Fine. But you sleep on the floor. And you leave as soon as the sun starts rising." He smiled at her, walking towards her.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about. I knew ya were still a good person." She rolled her eyes, giving him a gruff grunt. "Been a long time since I slept with a woman." She fought back the urge to laugh, she wasn't going to let him win, not that easily.

"You are sleeping on the floor, like any dog." She jabbed back at him, her whispery voice holding something akin to humor in its tone, and his mouth went slack, a feigned offended noise slipping out.

"Oh that's cold, honey. That's real cold." She pressed her lips together firmly, she wasn't going to smile, she knew he was trying his hardest to get her to laugh, he used to love making her laugh, he always said he liked how breathy it sounded.

"You are tough. You will survive." She gathered a few extra blankets and pillows she had for the colder months and handed them to him. "This is all I have. I am sorry." He shrugged a shoulder, smirking at her, but she quickly looked away, not wanting to get drawn in more than she already was. She sighed, walking towards the room she uses as her bedroom. "There is food over there, water is in that container if you need it."

Mara started to close the door, but she hesitated, finally turning to face Higgs. He lifted both his eyebrows, wondering why she was giving him that look, and she folded her arms over her chest.

"You say that you are sorry. Then tell me, why me? Why did you knock me out? Tie me up? But then wait until I woke back up before trying to kill me?" Higgs hadn't been expecting these questions, and he hung his head slightly.

"I chose ya because I knew ya still trusted me, at least a little." The confession caused a hurtful look to cross her face, something that she doesn't let happen often. "Amelie was behind it all." He tried to save this small moment of bonding, he did want to have her trust back, he had severed this relationship like he had done with Fragile, he wanted redemption. "I waited until ya woke up because I knew ya could leave." He put a lot of stress on the word, and she blinked, more confused than ever now. "I didn't want to hurt ya, ya have to believe me. That's why I gave you the opportunity to teleport away, luckily for me, a guy committed suicide, so I didn't have to pretend like I wanted to pursue you, I used that to cause a void out instead."

Mare eyes him silently, holding his gaze, before eventually going I to her room, and closing the door behind her.

~~~

@savage-rhi @disneymarina

#death stranding #higgs thirst tag #its got higgs in it #ds higgs #higgs x oc #higgs monaghan #fan fic #fan fictions #fan fiction

13 notes · View notes

junker-town · 7 years

Text

2021 NBA player rankings, Nos. 40-31: Some of these young guys will be awesome, but which ones?

Save for two choices, there aren’t a lot of proven NBA options on this section of the list of the 101 best players in 2021.

You’re always going out on a limb when asked to predict the 101 best NBA players in four years. A lot changes in four years. Just look at our (mostly off) predictions four years ago for the 100 best players today.

Picking out which young players emerge in the future and which don’t amount to a lot of guesswork. Consider this the section of the list where our panel of 10 puts some serious faith in their abilities to evaluate young talent.

Eight of the 10 picks in this section of the list are currently 23 years of age or younger. Some of us will look very smart. Others ... not so much.

40. Otto Porter

Age in 2021: 27 (8 seasons)

CHRIS GREENBERG: Good NBA contracts aren’t payouts for past performance. They are investments in future success. Otto Porter signed a max offer sheet from the Nets this summer, which the Wizards happily matched. He also was close to receiving a similar offer from the Kings.

Maybe those were bad offers.

But maybe Porter is just going to keep on developing into one of the most versatile and impactful players on one of the NBA’s best teams. With improvements at both ends of the floor through his four seasons, the 6’8 swingman averaged career highs in three-point shooting percentage (43.4), total rebounds (6.4), assists (1.5), steals (1.5), and points per game (13.4) last season.

Those numbers won’t set the world on fire four years from now. But this kid is still just a kid. He’ll be 27 in 2021, and one of the best 40 players in the league.

Everyone else’s reactions

TIM CATO: Porter has improved every year he has been in the league, and those are the type of players I’ll always bet on. Top 40? Sure, maybe. We’ll get at least one currently productive wing who bursts out Paul George-style in the next few years, and I’m rooting for it to be Porter.

MIKE PRADA: Bold, but I love it. I definitely would rather have Porter and his upward trajectory than several players picked in this range.

TOM ZILLER: I think this is a solid pick. He’s already a top-100 player, defense matters, and the Wizards should be solid if the band stays together.

More reading material

39. Zach LaVine

Age in 2021: 26 (7 seasons)

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: That ACL injury really sucked for LaVine, whose superhuman athleticism was the linchpin of an improving offensive repertoire. Still, I’m confident he’ll bounce back from his injury and, at worst, be a marksman from three and an above-average athlete. In Chicago, he’ll get enough touches. He just needs to rehab.

Everyone else’s reactions

TOM ZILLER: I took someone with an ACL history way higher (stay tuned) but LaVine’s production is really tied up in his athleticism, so this is a dice roll.

MATT ELLENTUCK: I didn’t love LaVine pre-injury, and think this is way too high for him considering the injury.

WHITNEY MEDWORTH: I’m a strong believer that a player’s environment and on-court situation play a large role in their success. The guy got traded to Chicago. This feels a bit too high.

RICKY O’DONNELL: Love watching LaVine play, but he needs to improve as a playmaker or defender to justify this.

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: Prove the haters wrong, Zach.

KOFIE YEBOAH: Zach, please stay healthy. The league needs you. I need you.

BULLSBLOGGER, BLOG A BULL: Well, if the Bulls were internally worried about not building around Jimmy Butler because he was merely a top-15 player instead of top-5, great work by them now potentially having a single top-100 player in four years. Better hit on these lottery years I guess.

(Spoiler alert: no other Bulls made this list).

More reading material

38. Gary Harris

Age in 2021: 26 (6 seasons)

WHITNEY MEDWORTH: Harris and Nikola Jokic are going to grow up together in Denver and it’ll be a beautiful thing. Harris was a top-10 three-point shooter last year and is only improving. Plus, he’ll only be 26 in 2021! His growth between his first two years and his third gives me hope.

Everyone else’s reactions

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: This feels like one of those picks you make when there are five seconds left on the clock and you don’t know who to pick, but you see a name you recognize as one widely considered promising. Gonna pass.

MIKE PRADA: Love this dude, but No. 38 is borderline All-Star level, and I’m not sure he’ll ever be that good. I’m surprised there was this large a discrepancy between Harris and Jamal Murray (No. 63).

That said, I really love this dude’s game and look forward to him getting more attention now that the Nuggets are gonna be must-see TV.

TOM ZILLER: He’s a good shooter, but he’s not going to be the second-best Nugget in four years, is he?

TIM CATO: I could see Harris getting this good. I’m not saying it’s likely, but I could see it.

MATT ELLENTUCK: We picked Gary Harris ahead of Harrison Barnes, D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, Kevin Love and Eric Bledsoe. Oh man.

MIKE PRADA: Harris is already better than all of those players except Love (and maybe Bledsoe), and he’s still quite young. Y’all gotta watch more Nuggets games.

More reading material

37. Skal Labissiere

Age in 2021: 25 (5 seasons)

TIM CATO: This pick’s meaning is twofold. First, what’s the point of this exercise if there isn’t a really dumb pick for NBA Reddit to laugh at? I am always looking out for the people of the internet. This was for you.

That said, I truly believe Labissiere has top-40 player potential four years from now. Why not? In a league that has become obsessed with unicorns, Labissiere has all those same tools. He’s an athletic 6’11 with scoring touch, and his jumper is silk. It’s a matter of time until it stretches out to the three-point line, something that will complement his icy post turnarounds beautifully. There’s much Labissiere must improve on, but give me his potential over picking another 32-year-old who may or may not hold up.

Everyone else’s reactions

TOM ZILLER: I have no emotion toward Labissiere’s current pro team, but as a recovering Francophile, I support all Haitians in the NBA. Skal is very exciting. Good pick, Cato. I support you.

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: Skal looked great for the post-Boogie-era Kings. This is a really good pick.

AKIS YEROCOSTAS, SACTOWN ROYALTY: Skal looks like a diamond in the rough of a very bad 2016 NBA draft. In 2021, he could be a two-way force for the Kings if he continues to develop well.

MIKE PRADA: I was all set to go way out on a limb and take Skal somewhere in the 50s based on a few decent games against tired and/or tanking teams ... and then Tim did it 15 picks higher than even that. This will look either brilliant or extremely foolish.

TIM CATO: “This will look either brilliant or extremely foolish” is the future title of my autobiography.

KOFIE YEBOAH: Can I write the prologue?

MATT ELLENTUCK: See my last Gary Harris reaction. This is such a weird pick. I’m not reading that book even if you’re right about Skal, Tim.

TIM CATO: At least I didn’t pick (redacted) fourth overall.

More reading material

36. De’Aaron Fox

Age in 2021: 23 (4 seasons)

KOFIE YEBOAH: I swear this kid can teleport. From watching him play in a high school tournament in Raleigh, to playing in Kentucky, and now making it to the league. De’Aaron Fox will use his teleportation powers to terrorize teams in transition and beyond. I know people are willing to bet against his jump shot for the time being. Hopefully, he gets that down so I can look back at this time capsule, drink a beer, and smile.

Everyone else’s reactions

AKIS YEROCOSTAS, SACTOWN ROYALTY: Given that De'Aaron Fox will be just 23 years old in 2021 with his best years ahead of him, I think most Kings fans would be ecstatic if he was already in the top 50 of NBA players. The speedster evokes John Wall, and if he can get anywhere close to that, the Kings are in good shape.

MATT ELLENTUCK: De’Aaron Fox might’ve been my favorite college player to watch last year, but this feels WAY too high for him. He’ll be 23 years old. I think he needs more time before he’s a borderline All-Star.

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: De’Aaron is fast as a Fox and will learn to control that speed in four years. Finally, a good pick by Kofie.

KOFIE YEBOAH: Finally? Kristian, I hope the Knicks miss the playoffs by one game every season for the rest of their existence.

CHRIS GREENBERG: These teleportation powers you note make him sound like a likelier member of the X-Men in 2021 than a top 40 NBA player.

MIKE PRADA: Two Kings in the top 37? That’s not what I expected when we started this exercise.

More reading material

35. Michael Porter Jr.

Age in 2021: 23 (3 seasons)

MIKE PRADA: Kinda surprised a textbook elite unicorn for a new generation who’s been near the top of the 2018 high school class throughout fell this far. Y’all are too scared to pick high schoolers.

Porter would be the perfect new franchise player for the Nets because ... oh yeah, never mind. Whoops.

Everyone else’s reaction

TOM ZILLER: We’re not too scared to pick high schoolers. Some of us have picked high schoolers in the past and been burned! (In 2011, I wrote that Shabazz Muhammad would be a top-100 player in 2015. Welp.) You have also picked high schoolers in the top 100 — hell, the top 20! — and been burned. The difference between us is you keep walking back into the fire. Bad Prada!

RICKY O’DONNELL: Porter might be considered a center by 2021 the way the league is going.

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: Pass on all high schoolers on this list.

KOFIE YEBOAH: No LaMelo Ball for you Kristian?

34. Josh Jackson

Age in 2021: 24 (4 seasons)

MATT ELLENTUCK: I still think Josh Jackson should have been in strong consideration as the top pick in this past draft, and I definitely would’ve taken him ahead of Jayson Tatum.

I’ve watched Jackson’s game since high school and have consistently been impressed by his basketball smarts and unreal athleticism. That knowledge, coupled with his dominant final few months at Kansas, sold me on Jackson as an impact player from the jump. His shooting is a real concern, but it’s obvious what his role will be as a playmaker and do-it-all small forward.

Everyone else’s reaction

TOM ZILLER: Stay tuned to find out if the entire first round of the 2017 NBA Draft gets picked in this exercise! Dibs on Tony Bradley. (The thing is: KUZMA got picked so you can’t even tell if I’m joking.)

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: The Suns better be good in 2021 if Josh Jackson’s a top-35 player, AND we haven’t gotten to Devin Booker yet.

MATT ELLENTUCK: I stand by this pick almost as hard as I do my Covington one. Jackson will be a STAR.

DAVE KING, BRIGHT SIDE OF THE SUN: Jackson profiles as a difference maker in the same vein as Draymond Green today and Tayshaun Prince back in the day. He’ll do all the winning things that allow scorers like Booker to score.

More reading material

33. Draymond Green

Age in 2021: 31 (9 seasons)

RICKY O’DONNELL: Draymond might be the best defensive player in the league. He’s also incredible with the ball in his hands, as evident by him finishing top-10 in the league in assists each of the last two seasons. He’s never been super fast and he certainly has never had great size. Somehow, he still is the most impactful center in the league. I don’t expect that to completely change by the time he’s 31 years old.

Everyone else’s reactions

GREG THOMAS, GOLDEN STATE OF MIND: Draymond doesn’t just excel based on pure athleticism, he excels on his innate basketball IQ. This enables Green to read defenses better and play more efficiently. He has helped lead the NBA into this small ball stretch-5 era and he will continue to evolve as a high IQ player. Draymond is a mainstay at the top and will be the force to reckon with for years to come. He will continue to outsmart and outhustle players that are more physically gifted than him.

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: Dray Dray is the most versatile defender we’ve ever seen, right? I’m curious how much of that versatility takes a hit as he ages.

TIM CATO: This is another one of those, “Either he’s higher, or he’s lower, and this is an average of the two,” picks. Green could blow up, fall off the map, and be out of the NBA by 2021. That’s conceivable. It’s just as likely he’ll remain the same defensive savant while maybe even improving his offensive game a little bit. When we’re talking about Draymond, a slow decline just doesn’t seem likely. It’ll be sharp and sudden, like a kick to Steven Adams’ nether regions.

TOM ZILLER: I don’t understand why we consider Green a boom-bust player. He doesn’t rely on athleticism — more his motor, brain, and intensity. Doesn’t that age well? I think Green will be fine into his mid-30s.

CHRIS GREENBERG: I’m torn on this one. Is Dray really succeeding without athleticism? That would suggest he’ll be fine for years, thanks to his basketball IQ and skills. Or is he leveraging every last bit of his relatively meager athleticism to maximize his basketball IQ and skills? In that case, losing even a single step could see his impact drop off a cliff.

MATT ELLENTUCK: Draymond is a top-10 or so player right now. His talent would translate to any team. I still don’t think we respect him nearly enough. He will still be GREAT in four years, so I’m offended by Tim’s reaction.

TIM CATO: My reaction was more a testament to his off-court (or even on-court) volatility than any decline in his game. But also, come on — he clearly relies heavily on athleticism, just not in the prototypical areas we think of it like 40-yard dashes and leaping abilities. His lateral movement declining would be a huge blow to the player he is.

KOFIE YEBOAH: I think four more years of Draytness is pretty reasonable. Anything after that, I can’t see.

More reading material

32. C.J. McCollum

Age in 2021: 29 (8 seasons)

ZITO MADU: The second and more chilled half of the Blazers buddy-cop duo has a similar career trajectory. McCollum can shoot and score. Last year he finished just outside the 50-40-90 club (48 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from the 3-point line, and 91.2 percent from the free throw line) while averaging 23 points per game. He’s only 25. His future is bright.

Everyone else’s reactions

DAVE DECKARD, BLAZERS EDGE: McCollum may turn out to be the most underrated player on this list: phenomenal offense, great attitude, could end up in the conversation with the league's best guards.

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: Better than Bradley Beal. (Can the league make 1-on-1 contests during the All-Star break? McCollum vs. Beal is the first game I want to see. Then JaVale McGee vs. Marvin Bagley.)

MIKE PRADA: This is a good pick.

One question: Will C.J. have his own team by now? He’ll have just finished his four-year deal, and while he gets along well with Damian Lillard off the court, you wonder if one or both will get wandering eyes, or if Portland will break the duo up itself in an attempt to become a more balanced team.

I hope they stay together because it’s fun watching their tag-team act, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re on different teams by 2021.

TOM ZILLER: My only concern for McCollum is that Portland’s defense is going to continue to be a sore spot and it eventually means the end of the backcourt duo. I’m not sure he has the same level of success with a lesser point guard.

MIKE PRADA: I actually disagree with that. I think he’ll be better individually away from Lillard because he’s good enough to be the lead dog in a backcourt. His team will probably be worse, though.

More reading material

31. Jabari Parker

Age in 2021: 26 (7 seasons)

TOM ZILLER: Parker is a silk-smooth scorer already, despite always getting injured. I have high hopes, still. Between picking Brogdon No. 71 and Jabari, I may also be overcompensating for the choice I made at No. 1 overall. Stay tuned.

Everyone else’s reactions

TIM CATO: Taking a dude with a twice-torn ACL in the top 35? That’s bold, Ziller. I wish Parker the best, but I’m afraid he’ll never be the same.

KRISTIAN WINFIELD: A twice-torn ACL, man. I can’t get jiggy with this pick.

MIKE PRADA: Also think it’s an open question whether he’s even a positive value-add player if healthy. I love watching him play, but it’s telling that the Bucks fared better without him three years ago and survived just fine when Khris Middleton returned this season.

RICKY O’DONNELL: The NBA will be a better place if Jabari can stay healthy.

CHRIS GREENBERG: Agree with Ricky, and rooting for Ziller to be right. And, heck, Shaun Livingston has taught us not to count anyone out.

KYLE CARR, BREW HOOP: If Jabari can recover from his second ACL tear and show that same explosiveness he had this past season, I think he can easily be a 20+ points-per-game guy. His defense will be in question, but minimal improvements will do him wonders.

More reading material

INTRO | FULL LIST | TOP 100 OF 2017 | HOW WE DID IN 2013 | SNUBS | 101-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1 | THE CASES FOR NO. 1

0 notes