Who do you want us to take at #1?

[IllMagic04]

On OKC, he would be playing the 3. His shooting and his "perimeter" defense would be perfect for them. Unless we move Franz, Jabari is not playing the 3 here. If he plays the 4 here, our interior defense would suck.

Maybe but are you saying we should only pick a prospect that fits next to WCjr? We aren't winning next year anyway

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Tricky huh? It's the problem we're facing together. Jabari is not a clear cut BPA, so the "we have to draft BPA" argument does not apply here.

Is Jabari someone you build your future team around? He doesn't dribble well, pass well, play good interior defense and his scoring inside the arc is the worst of any Top 5 prospect in the last 10+ years. He shoots well, rebounds decently and he's scrappy on the perimeter.

I don't think WCj should be considered a temp fill-in while we find the right guy next to Jabari. Not to mention Jabari at the 4 also squeezes Isaac out. I need to be convinced how this makes sense.

The ONLY way I see Jabari making sense for us is if he is some kind of 3 and D fill in at SG. Play off the ball and get ready to launch at touch. Then on defense, he switches over to guard SFs.

Very tricky. Banchero is my guy but we'd face the same problem. Even worse actually as Bancheros defense is a bigger problem. I still feel like BPA applies. Is Jabari someone to build around.. ehh I dunno. Everything you said is fair but I do think he has high potential. IMO the guys with star potential are Banchero and Ivey. Those 2 Id build around. Obviously the scouts and experts disagree with me lol. Issac getting squeezed out is really not a concern. He is honestly pretty far from my mind. Im not sure he's even gonna be ready for next season. Some guys are just gonna have to come off the bench. We are stil figuring out what we have. I just don't think we should take Holmgren only because he fits. We should take him if we feel he's going to be the best player.

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[Knightro]

That's a bad shooting backcourt and an equally bad defensive frontcourt.

I mean if Jabari ends up being the No. 1 pick, this certainly seems like it would be the starting lineup next year, right?

Puts Isaac on the outs which doesn't sit well with me, but maybe that's what Isaac is at this point in his career. A good rotation guy.

My bigger issue is the team is not constructed very well. Bad shooting backcourt and bad interior defense is just horrifying.

I don’t know if it puts Isaac on the outs necessarily. If they let Bamba walk there would plenty of backup PF and backup C minutes available for Isaac.

I have to assuming coming off two full missed seasons in a row that they’re gonna be really careful with his minutes next season.

Wouldn’t shock me if he was firmly on the No back-to-backs and a minutes restriction plan.

[Airgordon00]

That's a bad shooting backcourt and an equally bad defensive frontcourt.

I mean if Jabari ends up being the No. 1 pick, this certainly seems like it would be the starting lineup next year, right?

Puts Isaac on the outs which doesn't sit well with me, but maybe that's what Isaac is at this point in his career. A good rotation guy.

My bigger issue is the team is not constructed very well. Bad shooting backcourt and bad interior defense is just horrifying.

I don’t think our interior defense would be as bad as you think. Wendell may not be the shot blocker type but he is a load down under. He played great games defensively against Embid and jokic. Plus Chet and Jabari should be decent shot blockers in the league. If Isaac is healthy then he could very well be starting and we could slide Wagner to the 2, Isaac to the 3 and have chet or Jabari at the 4.

[PrimeThyme]

I'm quite surprised at how much momentum Banchero is gaining within the fanbase.

I definitely agree that he's the most NBA-ready offensive player and may come into the league averaging 18ppg next season. That would line him up to become rookie of the year and I'm sure it will/would leave people within the fanbase wondering if we made the wrong decision.

But in 3-4 years, I don't think there will be any question of whether Chet/Jabari were the right picks. I see both as far superior 2-way prospects, && my heart would drop to the floor if we took Paulo at one.

[Skin]

Maybe but are you saying we should only pick a prospect that fits next to WCjr? We aren't winning next year anyway

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Tricky huh? It's the problem we're facing together. Jabari is not a clear cut BPA, so the "we have to draft BPA" argument does not apply here.

Is Jabari someone you build your future team around? He doesn't dribble well, pass well, play good interior defense and his scoring inside the arc is the worst of any Top 5 prospect in the last 10+ years. He shoots well, rebounds decently and he's scrappy on the perimeter.

I don't think WCj should be considered a temp fill-in while we find the right guy next to Jabari. Not to mention Jabari at the 4 also squeezes Isaac out. I need to be convinced how this makes sense.

The ONLY way I see Jabari making sense for us is if he is some kind of 3 and D fill in at SG. Play off the ball and get ready to launch at touch. Then on defense, he switches over to guard SFs.

Very tricky. Banchero is my guy but we'd face the same problem. Even worse actually as Bancheros defense is a bigger problem. I still feel like BPA applies. Is Jabari someone to build around.. ehh I dunno. Everything you said is fair but I do think he has high potential. IMO the guys with star potential are Banchero and Ivey. Those 2 Id build around. Obviously the scouts and experts disagree with me lol. Issac getting squeezed out is really not a concern. He is honestly pretty far from my mind. Im not sure he's even gonna be ready for next season. Some guys are just gonna have to come off the bench. We are stil figuring out what we have. I just don't think we should take Holmgren only because he fits. We should take him if we feel he's going to be the best player.

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How sick will I be if Ivey turns into a Superstar and we didn't take him because he wasn't so called BPA.

[Skin]

I mean if Jabari ends up being the No. 1 pick, this certainly seems like it would be the starting lineup next year, right?

Puts Isaac on the outs which doesn't sit well with me, but maybe that's what Isaac is at this point in his career. A good rotation guy.

My bigger issue is the team is not constructed very well. Bad shooting backcourt and bad interior defense is just horrifying.

I don’t think our interior defense would be as bad as you think. Wendell may not be the shot blocker type but he is a load down under. He played great games defensively against Embid and jokic. Plus Chet and Jabari should be decent shot blockers in the league. If Isaac is healthy then he could very well be starting and we could slide Wagner to the 2, Isaac to the 3 and have chet or Jabari at the 4.

So if Isaac is healthy, Franz is your starting 2 guard all year?

[FFBlitzace]

There's a lot that will impact opinions between now and draft night, but right now I think I like Banchero the most. Jabari can shoot, and Chet is obviously a very intriguing prospect. But I think Banchero can really put the ball in the hole in a lot of ways.

[basketballRob]

It was pretty freakish for Jabari to shoot like that at 18. I'm interested in how much he expands his offensive game at 19. Usually, there is a significant jump at that age.

I'm too worried about Chet's thin frame and Banchero's motor on defense plus poor shooting.

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[slamjunkie]

I love how cocky Chet is claiming he’ll be the best player in the NBA in 2 months. We need that alpha personality and I believe he will just get better. He is generational in my eyes.

[basketballRob]

The only thing that Banchero did better than Jabari was average 1.8 assists more per 100 possessions on 0.6 more turnovers. Jabari lead in every other category. Rebounding, Blocks, Steals, FT%, TS, EFG%, Pts.

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[Black and Blue]

This is further proof I have to stay with my gut of Jabari Smith as our pick. There's been a few people on here that bring up Chet with Jalen Suggs. Like Jalen Suggs is supposed to be the sole reason or the main reason why he should go #1 ? Chuma Okeke and Jabari Smith both played at Auburn but I don't know if they have a connection outside Auburn. I haven't seen anyone on here bringing up Jabari Smith with Chuma Okeke. I'm glad I don't work for the Magic cause I don't want to draft a player because of 1 player on our team that has a connection with Chet. With Jabari, We not hearing because of 1 particular player on the team. If I could make the selection of who to draft, I be more comfortable drafting Jabari than Chet.

You’re getting hung up on that point, assuming people are saying “the magic will draft Chet because he played with Suggs”…but no one is saying that. What people are saying is it factors in to the Magic’s decision. In a tight race where two prospects are neck and neck any one factor can help push a decision one way or another. John Hammond on the Magic said himself on the radio after the lottery that the Chet-Suggs relationship will factor in as the team plans on talking to Suggs about Chet (and he also said there really isn’t much of an Auburn connection between Jabari and Okeke).

The Magic also have a history of pushing duos to their fanbase in the form of a big man and a guard, and if two already have a bond it’s easier to imagine that chemistry.

I am definitely more in the Jabari camp right now, but based purely on qualities this front office prioritizes in their draft history and makeup of the team I can see the Magic ultimately drafting Chet.

[CZ Eddie]

Learning to dribble at 18+ is a almost unreachable goal. Its a skill heavily based on coordination, body control, feel...
That are things you learn when you are 6-13, not when you are 18+.

JJ Redick greatly improved his ball handling a few years into the league.

[RookieStar]

Remember when we signed MoW off the streets so we have a connection when we picked Franz???

Ok lol im just reaching...

[DiplomaticMagic]

the general expectation around the combine has been that Orlando will go with Auburn forward Jabari Smith at No. 1

https://www.si.com/nba/2022/05/20/nba-draft-combine-biggest-questions-scrimmage-standouts-from-thursday

2nd time Ive heard we are favoring Jabari.

Man, I will root for Jabari and see why he would be intriguing. But I just dont believe this is the right pick.

[Knightro]

NBADraft.net: Jabari
ESPN (Jonathan Givony): Jabari
The Athletic (Sam Vecenie): Jabari
Bleacher Report (Jonathan Wasserman): Jabari
Sports Illustrated (Jeremy Woo): Jabari
Yahoo Sports (Krysten Peek): Jabari
BasketballNews.com (Matt Babcock): Jabari

CBS (Gary Parrish): Chet
The Ringer (Kevin O'Connor): Chet
For the Win (Bryan Kalbrosky): Chet

SB Nation (Ricky O'Donnell): Banchero

[zaymon]

If we take Chet number 1 I'm not gonna be mad. I lost the right to be mad after I was mad we drafted Franz. I made a fool of myself with how wrong I was so I suspended myself from being mad at their selection for a year. So no matter what I will not complain. Having said that I'm legit curious to those who want to take Chet number 1. What is it about his game that makes you think he can be a star? Lets pretend his body fills out enough ( which I think it will). What about his game indicates star? Like do you think that hes gonna be so dominate on the defensive side that he will be a star? I personally think he could be as good as JI was before the injury on defense. Before the injury JI was playing out of his mind on the defensive side. I think he can get there without question but is that a star? Does anyone think he's even good enough to be a third option offensively? If so based on what? He's not braking anyone down of the dribble, He can shot but not as good as Jabari and not the level of tough shots as Jabari. I watched him a bunch this year. I just dont see a star offensively. Defensively I'm pretty sold. The thing I wonder is how much he didn't get to show at Gonzaga cause Timme was the primary option

I was very high on Wagner before the draft, I had him one spot before Suggs. I am not so high on Chet. His handle is overrated, he couldnt create much in the halfcourt. Isaac is much more athletic than Holmgren. Isaac can stay in front of anybody, girafe moving like a lion. Holmgren is mobile for a 7 footer but he cant stay in front of quicker wings let alone guards. I love his attitude, i would pick him second, but Holmgren is in another league offensively imo.

Can Jabari become a taller, more athletic Klay Thompson? I don't see him as a comp being thrown around but Klay is known for being a jump shooter and a guy who doesn't need to dribble to score - also a guy in his prime who was a top league defender (just below Kawhi).

If that's the case, is Jabari worth a #1? Is Klay who he is without Steph and Draymond?

Thompson work in GSW offense becouse he is great decision maker and passer, he could also drive to the rim. Smith forces tough shots and is really limited offensively.

Watch on YouTube

Thompson is much more similar to Banchero when you watch film.

How anyone can compare Paolo to Klay is beyond me. Paolo would DREAM of being able to shoot like him.

Fixed the quotes for you Skin I never wrote Banchero is great shooter, let alone Klay level. If you read closely i never even compared Banchero to Thompson. I just wrote that when you watch Klay college film his style of play is more similar to Paulo than to Jabari. He can put the ball on the floor, he can pass. He ALWAYS had it. Jabari doesnt have it. We are still waiting on Bamba, and the only thing that improved significantly is shooting, becouse thats the easiest thing to do.

[drsd]

NBADraft.net: Jabari
ESPN (Jonathan Givony): Jabari
The Athletic (Sam Vecenie): Jabari
Bleacher Report (Jonathan Wasserman): Jabari
Sports Illustrated (Jeremy Woo): Jabari
Yahoo Sports (Krysten Peek): Jabari
BasketballNews.com (Matt Babcock): Jabari

CBS (Gary Parrish): Chet
The Ringer (Kevin O'Connor): Chet
For the Win (Bryan Kalbrosky): Chet

SB Nation (Ricky O'Donnell): Banchero

I would say this ratio breaks similarly to our opinions.

[RookieStar]

Im just waiting for the top players who will decline to workout for a particular team. Like say Jabari wont workout anyone except us or PB refusing HOU and SAC.

Itll make our heads explode

[KillMonger]

The workouts are going to be what separates these guys. You always hear rumors about workouts....."such and such guy is killing the workouts" we heard such things about Mobley, Barnes.....on the other hand we also heard bouknight had good workouts too

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[bigdogdylan5]

Ok can someone try and talk me into Jabari? I am leaning to far towards Chet and I want to be perfectly balanced so I am not annoyed draft night. I just always thought the handle is one of the hardest things to improve. Can he do it?