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Top 2022 NBA Draft prospect, Gonzaga big man Chet Holmgren visited the Orlando Magic on Friday, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. They hold the first overall pick in this year’s draft.
Holmgren visits with Magic, as No. 1 pick intrigue builds (from @AP) https://t.co/BciqksIuYM
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) June 17, 2022
Holmgren entered the NBA Draft after a solid freshman year at Gonzaga where he averaged 14.4 points per game, 9.9 rebounds per game, and 3.7 blocks per game.
He was also named consensus second-team All-American, WCC Defensive Player of the Year, and WCC Newcomer of the Year.
Holmgren has been discussed as one of the top three candidates to be selected first overall. The others being Auburn forward Jabari Smith and Duke forward Paolo Banchero.
While Holmgren is visiting the Magic, it is heavily rumored that Orlando will select Smith. The team reportedly has already made their decision and is just doing their due diligence on the prospects available.
If the Magic do pick Holmgren, it will be right in line with their previous number one overall pick selections. In 1992, the Magic selected Shaquille O’Neal and in 2004, they selected Dwight Howard, both of whom led the team to NBA Finals appearances.
Holmgren’s guard-like skills and shot-blocking make him an intriguing fit on the Magic’s roster. He would fit like a glove in Orlando's system playing alongside players such as Wendell Carter Jr. and Franz Wagner but his arrival would likely spell the end of Mo Bamba's tenure with the team.
Orlando’s affinity toward dominant big men has bode well for them in the past so the hope is that whoever the Magic draft number one can replicate the success of O’Neal and Howard.
