Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith Viewed As Front-runners For No. 1 Pick

Gonzaga center Chet Holmgren and Auburn forward Jabari Smith Jr. are viewed as the front-runners to be the No. 1 pick this year, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Holmgren, a consensus All-American, averaged 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.7 blocks and 1.9 assists in 32 games with the Zags. He emerged as a strong prospect on both ends of the court and shot 39% from 3-point range on 3.3 attempts per game.

Smith, who was also voted a consensus All-American, averaged 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, two assists, 1.1 steals and one blocked shot on 42% shooting from 3-point range. He set the Auburn single-season freshman record for points (576) and 3-pointers (79).

The top of the draft has been consistently dominated by Holmgren, Smith and Duke forward Paolo Banchero. However, it appears as though Holmgren and Smith have separated themselves a bit around the NBA, Wojnarowski said on his podcast.

This is the draft lottery of the power forwards with three very different players. We’ll see how this shakes out. Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga and Jabari Smith of Auburn, I think the consensus right now is those are really the two players competing for No. 1 with the Magic.

Of course, the Magic were awarded the top pick in the draft lottery on Tuesday after entering the evening with a 14% chance of winning. It is the fourth time in franchise history that the Magic have won the top pick, and the first since 2004.

Magic president Jeff Weltman said the team will do its due diligence on those prospects in the conversation to be the top pick and will carefully meet with each of them to determine the best long-term fit. They have often prioritized taking the best player available with the highest upside.

With the NBA draft still over a month away, the Magic will have plenty of time to reach a decision but the team appears to be poised to walk away with a potential franchise-changing player.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!