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NBA draft night has arrived.
Before Thursday is finished, franchises will align themselves with the next batch of incoming ballers in hopes of snagging a star, strengthening a roster and, ideally, competing for basketball’s biggest prize.
Ahead of the actual talent grab, the rumor mill is predictably spinning at warp speed. Let’s dig into the latest buzz.
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At this stage of mock draft season, most experts have aligned on the first three picks. You can find differences here and there, but the general consensus has Jabari Smith Jr. going to the Orlando Magic at No. 1, Chet Holmgren joining the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 2 and Paolo Banchero being snatched up by the Houston Rockets at No. 3.
There are enough predictions calling for this order to assume it’s set in stone, but it’s always possible that isn’t the case. The Thunder, as per usual, are keeping things close to the vest, and that has people wondering whether Holmgren is as likely to land in the Sooner State as it seems.
“Jaden Ivey and Paolo Banchero are still viewed by many around the league as legitimate candidates to go at No. 2,” SI.com’s Jeremy Woo reported.
Banchero offers the cleanest fit of the two, as the Thunder are already strong in the backcourt with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey on the roster. However, OKC isn’t at the roster-building point of taking team needs into account, so if the organization has Ivey as the best prospect on the board at No. 2, it can pounce on him and figure out the fit later.
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The Portland Trail Blazers are attempting to rebuild on the fly around 31-year-old franchise face, Damian Lillard.
They already took one step in that direction by brokering a deal with the Detroit Pistons for two-way forward Jerami Grant, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported. If draft night goes the way Portland wants, it could soon add another two-way swingman to the mix.
The Blazers are trying to pluck OG Anunoby away from the Toronto Raptors and using the No. 7 pick as trade bait, per Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes.
Anunoby, like Grant, is exactly the kind of long, athletic, defensive-minded wing Portland spent so many years trying and failing to find. If the Blazers could land Anunoby—which feels like a big if, as the No. 7 pick doesn’t seem like enough—this roster would get interesting in a hurry.
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With the value of interior bigs on the decline in the modern game, it’s not always easy to tell when the first “true” center will (or even should) be drafted.
In this iteration, it’s not even clear which big that will be, as Memphis’ Jalen Duren and Duke’s Mark Williams rarely land far from each other on most big boards.
Having said that, “most around the league” think Duren will go before Williams, per Woo.
Duren is younger and more athletic. Williams offers more polish and better defense.
With the way the Association typically approaches the talent grab, it isn’t surprising that Duren’s age and perceived upside would get him the nod over Williams, even though the latter has a good chance of making a bigger impact as a rookie.
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