Jabari Smith falls, Walker Kessler rises in latest CBS Sports NBA Mock Draft
Unless something crazy happens, Auburn basketball will have two players selected in the first round of this month's NBA Draft.
Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler both will hear their name called on Thursday, June 23rd.
Since the lottery, Smith has found himself at the top of almost all NBA Mock Drafts, but after visiting and working out for the Orlando Magic recently, CBS Sports has him slotted as the number two pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Kessler, normally slotted as a selection in the mid-twenties, was taken by the Chicago Bulls with the 18th selection.
The author of the NBA Mock Draft is CBS Sports' Gary Parrish.
He's what he wrote for Smith going second to the Thunder instead of first overall to the Magic.
"Smith still needs to develop in lots of ways but he's already a great shooter and switchable defender who plays with undeniable energy," Parrish wrote. "If he doesn't go first in this draft, it's hard to imagine him slipping past Oklahoma City."
He liked what he saw from Kessler as a defender. Here's what he wrote after projecting him to go 18th overall to Chicago.
"Kessler was arguably the best defensive player in college basketball this season while averaging 4.6 blocks per game," Parrish wrote. "He's an incredible rim-protector with the potential to also develop into a comfortable perimeter shooter."
The Auburn basketball program will ride the results of this NBA Draft on the recruiting front for years to come regardless of where they go in the first round.
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