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.