I’m not sure if Auburn’s Jabari Smith or Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren should be the first player taken in the NBA Draft.
But I know that any comparison to a player like Shawn Bradley that is meant to question Holmgren’s talents are way off base.
The 7-foot, 195-pound Holmgren certainly looks frail. But he doesn’t play that way. In his first NCAA Tournament game he made history with 19 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists and 7 blocks. He’s the first player ever with that kind of stat sheet stuffing in a tournament game.
To call him a center is a mistake. In this age of positionless basketball, he’s simply a basketball player.
I still think I’d take Smith No. 1 in the draft. But Holmgren is the person in this draft who has the best chance to change how the game is played.
For Threaded Fasteners, I’m Randy Kennedy with Nuts and Bolts of the Game
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