We're A Month Away From The NBA Draft But The First Two Picks Are Already Reportedly And Smartly Decided

Yeah, I mean this makes sense. It was always a clear top-4 to me in some order with Chet, Jabari, Paolo and Jaden Ivey. The question was always what order they go in. I think what Jonathan Givony is saying here makes all the sense in the world. The more I watched the guys in college this season the more it felt like Jabari would be my first pick as a hypothetical GM. I'm a great GM in NBA2k, but hypothetically speaking of course. Big man who can shoot. I know people are knocking his ability to be a creator but he's always been great with a first move and that tended to be good enough to get his own shot. He's coming off a year where he put up 17, 7.5 rebounds and shot 42% from three. Not too shabby on a numbers standpoint. He's also a good defender. Versatile, can protect the rim, all that good stuff. Then throw in that the Magic need to stockpile as much talent as possible and you can make the case that Jabari is the most talented prospect in this year's draft.

Then there's OKC at 2 with Chet. Again, it's about fit. He fits what OKC likes to do and how they draft. We know about his skinny frame and weight problem. But he's an outside-in player first and that's how OKC plays. He can be special defensively, a need that is still out there for most teams. Excellent shot blocker, moves his feet well for his size and that translates right away. We know OKC isn't scared to take a shot on upside and a project. Chet isn't the best prospect right now but I'd argue he has the most upside out of any of these guys, especially what he already has defensively and length wise. 

You can like Paolo or Ivey more, but this makes sense for the top two picks. I'm a little surprised we're getting this rumor already as we're still a month away. I'm a sucker for the NBA Draft. Always been one of my favorite events and trying to figure out what rumors are true, smoke screens and everything in between. This feels as true as true gets. Shit, even look at mocks and this checks out. Plenty can change and with the playoffs becoming blowouts and wrapping up we're going to get even more rumors. 

Let the Draft games begin.