1. Orlando Magic — Jabari Smith, F, Auburn
NBA Comparison: Rashard Lewis
Orlando holds all the cards after winning its first lottery since ’04 (Dwight Howard). They’re coming off a strong ’21 draft which saw them bring in Jalen Suggs and first-team All-Rookie selection Franz Wagner. Now, they get a chance to add even more youth to a team on the rise.
The highest ranked recruit in program history, Smith showed off why he was so highly-touted coming out of high school. The Georgia native boasts a complete offensive game. He’s already a great shooter who knocked down 42-percent of his threes and just under 79.9 of his free throws. A prolific scorer with a quick release, Smith will have no trouble scoring at a high clip in the NBA. He could develop into a go-to scorer playing alongside Suggs and Wagner.
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