The NBA Draft cycle is quickly approaching, and most of the top prospects for the event have already been eliminated from the ongoing NCAA Tournament. The top pick in the draft is expected by most to come down to Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, and Darryn Peterson, with many projecting this to be the most talented draft class in years.
Recently, one NBA Western Conference general manager broke down how they would view things if they got the top pick in the draft.
“I guess you'd rather fail with [AJ] and his upside, than not,” said the GM, per Jeremy Woo and Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “And I know Peterson has upside, maybe Boozer's upside is a little bit less. … I just think that [AJ], because he's 6-9 and he could be like 6-10, 230 [pounds] by the time he's 25 years old, he could just be a monster. I think you've just got to go down swinging with him if you go down.”
That logic has been shared by many, who view the BYU standout Dybantsa as a perfect fit for the league's current positionless basketball archetype.
However, Peterson and Boozer still have plenty of fans in league front offices.
“I think Peterson is the most talented guy, but the injury stuff is a real question,” said an Eastern Conference scout. That's a valid concern, and it's been a weird year. But he's a huge talent, and he was No. 1 at the start of the season for a reason.”
The question of who will go number one will likely come down to who gets the top pick, as different teams have different needs on their roster to fill.
The NBA Draft lottery is set to take place early next month, while the draft itself will get underway in late June.
