Chet vs. Jabari: Who's The Betting Odds Favorite For Magic's No. 1 Pick?
Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith are in a two-horse race to become the Orlando Magic's No. 1 overall selection in next month's NBA Draft.
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It's one of the tightest races we've seen in a while, as both players have pros and cons to becoming the newest member of the Orlando Magic.
Holmgren can play the four or five and could complement Wendell Carter Jr. well as a high-low combo. He also has a very strong defensive IQ that could make him one of the league's best defenders once he puts on a little more weight. He also has proven success with last year's top pick Jalen Suggs, his former high school teammate.
Smith is more NBA-ready than Holmgren and can be the exact 3-and-D player that every team in the league wants. In his lone season at Auburn, Smith averaged 16.9 points per game while shooting 42 percent from the perimeter. Smith is also a full year younger than Holmgren, which could be a reason to lean his way.
According to the DraftKings Sportsbook, Smith is a slight favorite over Holmgren with -125 odds. Holmgren isn't too far behind, sitting at +125 odds, but both big men have created quite the gap between them and the field, with the next-closest player being Duke's Paolo Banchero at +600 odds.
Both Holmgren and Smith can succeed with the Magic, but neither are locks to be the No. 1 pick. This means the Magic have a very interesting month of back-and-forth ahead of them, with Smith taking the early lead.
