Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Tall freshmen look like locks at the top
The NBA draft takes place Thursday in New York and the one of the biggest questions for hoops fans is: Where will Chet Holmgren land? That prediction, plus every other pick in the first round, are below:
1. Magic, Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga, 7-0: The Magic shouldn’t overthink this pick. Holmgren’s combination of size, skill, and rim protecting are unmatched.
2. Thunder, Jabari Smith, Auburn, 6-10: The Thunder haven’t been fortunate enough to see a 6-10 talent like Smith in their organization since Kevin Durant left.
3. Rockets, Paolo Banchero, Duke, 6-10: Led Duke to the Final Four in the last season of Coach K’s legendary career. 4. Kings, Jaden Ivey, Purdue, 6-4: Ivey would be the highest drafted Big Ten player since Michigan State’s
Jaren Jackson Jr. was the fourth pick in the 2018 draft.
5. Pistons, Keegan Murray, Iowa, 6-8: The Hawkeyes will have their first first-round pick since 1998 with Murray, who was arguably the most improved college player in the country last season.
6. Pacers, Dyson Daniels, NBA G League Ignite, 6-7: Daniels has been on the NBA’s radar as a big combo guard, but scouts didn’t realize how big he would become.
7. Trail Blazers, Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona, 6-6: Arizona’s first-year coach Tommy Lloyd saw Mathurin become arguably the best shooting guard in college hoops. 8. Pelicans, Shaedon Sharpe, Kentucky, 6-5: Sharpe was the top-ranked high school player in the 2022 class before reclassifying to attend Kentucky last season.
9. Spurs, Ousmane Dieng, New Zealand Breakers, 6-10: Dieng, a native of France, had some underwhelming stats in the NBL, but he still is an intriguing pick.
10. Wizards, AJ Griffin, Duke, 6-6: Blue Devils freshman had five 20-point performances and shot 44.7% from 3-point range last season.
11. Knicks, Johnny Davis, Wisconsin, 6-5: Davis carried the Badgers on his back to a Big Ten title and earned conference player of the year honors.
12. Thunder, Jeremy Sochan, Baylor, 6-9: The 19-year-old Polish talent had a strong finish to the season, including 15 points and 11 rebounds vs. North Carolina.
13. Hornets, Jalen Duren, Memphis, 6-11: Duren proved more worthy of that distinction than his former teammate Emoni Bates.
14. Cavaliers, Malaki Branham, Ohio State, 6-5: He’s the most unlikely first-round pick of this year’s freshmen in the draft, but nobody performed better in the clutch.
15. Hornets, Ochai Agbaji, Kansas, 6-6: A decade ago, Agbaji would’ve been a possible top-10 pick after leading his team to the NCAA title.
16. Hawks, Tari Eason, LSU, 6-8: Quietly one of the SEC’s most consistent players, Eason scored in double figures in 17 of his last 18 games, including four straight 20-point efforts.
17. Rockets, Mark Williams, Duke, 7-2: Good luck finding a player more impactful as a rim protector than Williams, who had 22 games with at least three blocks.
18. Bulls, Jalen Williams, Santa Clara, 6-6: Not even 6-feet tall as a junior in high school, Williams was a late bloomer, but he blossomed at the right time.
19. Timberwolves, TyTy Washington Jr., Kentucky, 6-4: Wildcats have a solid track record for producing guards, including Devin Booker, Jamal Murray and DeAaron Fox.
20. Spurs, Nikola Jovic, Serbia, 6-11: This tall and lengthy wing has trouble avoiding comparisons to the two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, but his game speaks for itself.
21. Nuggets, Blake Wesley, Notre Dame, 6-4: Wesley led the Irish in scoring and his all-around play as a freshman helped them reach their first NCAA Tournament since 2017.
22. Grizzlies, Kennedy Chandler, Tennessee, 6-0: One of the nation’s top freshmen, Chandler topped the Vols in scoring, assists and steals.
23. 76ers, Jaden Hardy, NBA G League Ignite, 6-4: Hardy chose to pass up playing college ball to play in the NBA G League.
24. Bucks, Walker Kessler, Auburn, 7-1: College basketball’s top shot blocker had two games with doubledigit swats this season and should fit into the Bucks nicely.
25. Spurs, MarJon Beauchamp, NBA G League Ignite, 6-5: His success with the NBA G League attracted NBA scouts.
26. Mavericks, Kendall Brown, Baylor, 6-7: Developed into a prototypical wing in the NBA with his athleticism and versatility.
27. Heat, Dalen Terry, Arizona, 6-7: Terry saved some of his best games for last with breakout performances in the Pac-12 championship game and NCAA Tournament.
28. Warriors, Jake LaRavia, Wake Forest, 6-8: The Warriors have a few young talented wings, but they might not be able to resist drafting LaRavia.
29. Grizzlies, Patrick Baldwin Jr., Milwaukee, 6-10: He might drop with inconsistency against mid-major competition as a freshman.
30. Thunder, Max Christie, Michigan State, 6-6: Christie could’ve used another year under Hall of Famer Tom Izzo to grow into a star, but his shooting is NBA ready.