The NBA season has concluded, the NBA draft is fast approaching and many of the top prospects have the potential to be the future of the NBA . With all the talent in this year's draft it is hard to find a consensus on who the top pick in this year's draft should be. On most draft boards the most likely options for the #1 overall pick are Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith, and Paolo Banchero. All three of these players have a lot of upside but there is one player I believe the Magic cannot pass up.
Jabari Smith is the most pro ready NBA prospect and has a skillset that will translate well at the next level. At 6'10 with the ability to shoot from the outside along with his versatility in guarding multiple positions on defense gives him great potential as a two way player.
In his single season at Auburn, he became a signature piece of Head Coach Bruce Pearl's team by making an immediate impact. Despite coming in as a McDonald's All American, he found a way to exceed expectations in his freshman year by leading Auburn to the top of The Associated Press poll for the first time in program history. He did this while having a spectacular freshman season averaging 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He also showed an ability to space the floor by shooting 42% from three point range. Smith earned National Freshman of the Year and Consensus Second-Team All-American honors.
Smith was Auburn's most effective scoring option especially in the half court, with his skillset and ability he could bring that same quality to the Magic if he is selected 1st overall. Specifically, he will be successful if he is able to knockdown jump shots in a variety of situations like he did in college where he excelled in catch and shoot opportunities along with pull-ups. Pairing that with his tenacity on defense especially when he was matched up against smaller players on switches will earn him a starring role with whoever drafts him.
Lastly, a key area he will need to improve to help reach his potential on the next level will be not relying on jump shots to score. At Auburn, only 19% of Smith’s shots came from inside the paint in half court offense. This number will have to improve and will have to build muscle to deal with the physicality of trying to score in the paint in the NBA. He's shown flashes of the potential to be not just fluid but explosive when attacking the rim as he had multiple poster dunks last season. If Smith is able to continue to show an ability to not shy away from contact or physicality along with his plethora of offensive abilities he can easily be an all-star for years to come.
Source: Highlights 101 YouTube Channel
Great analysis