He's an elite college recruit but he has quite a bit to prove before I'd consider him an elite NBA prospect. To me Wiggins and Parker are both definitely a cut above anyone else in the class and would have to struggle mightily to be challenged. Gordon is in the next group of prospects with Randle, Andrew Harrison and Hezonja all of whom who could just as easily be drafted ahead of him(as well as some dark horse).
It's possible Gordon could be the #2 pick in '14 depending on who declares and how the season progresses, but it is by no means a lock though I'd be glad to revisit this topic in a year. And if the Gordon proves to be worthy of the #2 pick in what appears to be the strongest NBA draft class of the past 10 years I'll be happy for UA and will enjoy watching them.
That's the beauty of going to college and being coached by one of the elites in the industry. He has the opportunity to work on those skills and play against tougher competition than 5'10" white boys with oily skin and bad acne.
For his position, Gordon has very few weaknesses. His only
glaring weakness is free throw shooting. Fortunately, Sean Miller was an excellent free throw shooter at Pitt and puts great emphasis on players getting better at the line. I can't recall one player regressing as a FT shooter under the tutelage of Miller. Even Tarc, a historically pitiful free throw shooter (like Deandre Jordan bad), was shooting around 65% during PAC 12 competition.
I'll trust that Gordon will develop into an elite talent while at Arizona. And if he is a one-and-done, which is very rare for Arizona players, it's a small price to pay for significant depth in the 2014 tourney.
