Jabari Smith Overtakes Chet Holmgren as Favorite To Go No. 1 in NBA Draft
By Joe Summers
The 2022 NBA Draft is fast-approaching as we're less than a month away from a life-changing and franchise-altering evening.
Orlando won the first pick in the lottery and finds itself at a fork in the road. Do the Magic take Auburn power forward Jabari Smith, whose stellar defense and impressive perimeter shooting make him a potential cornerstone on any team? Or do they gamble on upside with the wiry Gonzaga unicorn, Chet Holmgren?
“most NBA teams believe… that Smith is all but assured to become the top pick. Smith… appears to be thrilled with that development. So is Holmgren over his looming marriage with the Thunder which is also the overwhelming expectation from NBA executives”
— Thunder Film Room (@ThunderFilmRoom) May 24, 2022
- Jonathan Givony, ESPN pic.twitter.com/VVWGolqKla
After weeks of Holmgren being the odds-on favorite to go No. 1, Smith has overtaken the former Wildcat to be the presumed first selection of the 2022 NBA Draft. Let's check out the consensus odds at the top of the leaderboard:
Who Will Be the First Overall Pick in the NBA Draft?
- Jabari Smith: -200
- Chet Holmgren: +180
- Paolo Banchero: +1000
- Jaden Ivey: +4000
- Shaedon Sharpe: +4000
Smith is expected to join a budding Magic roster that showed promise defensively near the end of the season but is desperate for offense. That makes Smith a logical selection over Holmgren, who showcased incredible defensive ability at Gonzaga but an offensive skillset that needs development.
At 6'10" and 220-lbs, Smith averaged 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and over a block and steal per game while shooting 42% from beyond the arc and 79.9% at the free-throw line.
Jabari Smith is criminally underrated. Here’s a highlight reel pic.twitter.com/fVeWidjR30
— ? (@clutchcity832) May 23, 2022
With Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs looking like potential building blocks, Smith is the glue that can bring Orlando's roster together. If Mo Bamba's excellent second-half of the season is an indication of what he'll bring moving forward, Holmgren's skillset would have been rendered irrelevant. But Smith's floor-spacing and unselfish play can drive the Magic to greater heights.
Orlando had the third-worst three-point shooting percentage of any team in the NBA last year (33.1%), so Smith's ability to shoot from outside brings a much-needed element to the roster.
We'll keep you updated here at BetSided with the latest news and movement. If there's actionable content that you need to know about before the draft next month, we'll be the first to let you know. The Magic's future may be bright, after all.
Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.