2. Jalen Williams | 6-6 wing | Oklahoma City Thunder | original selection: No. 12 Williams is the player who most quickly spiked up the board this year. He already looks like a potential star next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. His full-season numbers look a bit more pedestrian than you’d think, averaging 14 points, four rebounds and three assists. But the second-half leap has NBA personnel jealous that they didn’t buy into Williams as a lottery pick like the Thunder did. Over his last 20 games, Williams averaged 19 points, six rebounds and four assists while shooting 55 percent from the field, 45 percent from 3 and 88 percent from the line. More importantly, he did it amid the Thunder’s surprising push for the Play-In Tournament. Beyond the numbers and winning, Williams just looks like a future All-Star out there. At 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, he does most of his damage inside the arc, with a weird mix of old-school tricks and new-school drives on well-spaced courts. He finishes both below and above the rim. His ability to extend his arms and finish gives him an enormous advantage, especially when mixed with his handle and touch. Most importantly though, Williams makes the right play every single time while maintaining productivity. He hits passing reads with ease. Defensively, he takes on tough assignments. He’s the kind of complete player whom teams search high and low for to pair with a superstar. Players who produce at this kind of efficiency are typically All-Stars in the future. That’s why Williams jumps his teammate below him in this redraft. We have too many positive indicators about what he will be in the future.
3. Chet Holmgren | 7-0 big | Oklahoma City Thunder | original selection: No. 2 This is where the fun starts and where I expect some push-back. I’m still all-in on Holmgren and debated slotting him in at No. 1 here after ranking him as my No. 1 player in the class pre-draft. There is no higher-upside player in this class, and there is a real chance I feel dumb in a year’s time if Holmgren immediately steps in and becomes the guy I think he’s going to be. Outside of his frame, which seems to be improving in his year out of action due to a foot injury suffered over the summer in a pro-am event, Holmgren is as complete a player to enter the NBA in a while. He has elite size and length measurements as a 7-foot center with a 7-foot-6 wingspan. He is an elite rim protector, using unbelievable anticipatory skills to be able to make a consistent impact. He can slide his feet a bit and guard out in space and was an elite help defender for a young player. On offense, he can actually handle the ball out in transition for his size, he’s a sharp passer particularly in high-low situations away from the rim, and he has potential to hit over 40 percent from 3. He fits every single box the Thunder look for as an organization that has prioritized plus positional size, length, skill and basketball IQ. To put the cherry on top, Holmgren’s work ethic seems not to have slowed down, and he’s one of the most competitive players I’ve evaluated in the decade I’ve been doing this, itching to get back on the court. The only reason I don’t have him at No. 1 is simply the question over how the frame holds up long term. For the two players above him, I just had to default to what they’ve already shown. But don’t get it twisted: If Holmgren hits, he’s going to be the best player in this class.
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2. Jalen Williams | 6-6 wing | Oklahoma City Thunder | original selection: No. 12
Williams is the player who most quickly spiked up the board this year. He already looks like a potential star next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. His full-season numbers look a bit more pedestrian than you’d think, averaging 14 points, four rebounds and three assists. But the second-half leap has NBA personnel jealous that they didn’t buy into Williams as a lottery pick like the Thunder did. Over his last 20 games, Williams averaged 19 points, six rebounds and four assists while shooting 55 percent from the field, 45 percent from 3 and 88 percent from the line. More importantly, he did it amid the Thunder’s surprising push for the Play-In Tournament. Beyond the numbers and winning, Williams just looks like a future All-Star out there. At 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, he does most of his damage inside the arc, with a weird mix of old-school tricks and new-school drives on well-spaced courts. He finishes both below and above the rim. His ability to extend his arms and finish gives him an enormous advantage, especially when mixed with his handle and touch. Most importantly though, Williams makes the right play every single time while maintaining productivity. He hits passing reads with ease. Defensively, he takes on tough assignments. He’s the kind of complete player whom teams search high and low for to pair with a superstar. Players who produce at this kind of efficiency are typically All-Stars in the future. That’s why Williams jumps his teammate below him in this redraft. We have too many positive indicators about what he will be in the future.
3. Chet Holmgren | 7-0 big | Oklahoma City Thunder | original selection: No. 2
This is where the fun starts and where I expect some push-back. I’m still all-in on Holmgren and debated slotting him in at No. 1 here after ranking him as my No. 1 player in the class pre-draft. There is no higher-upside player in this class, and there is a real chance I feel dumb in a year’s time if Holmgren immediately steps in and becomes the guy I think he’s going to be. Outside of his frame, which seems to be improving in his year out of action due to a foot injury suffered over the summer in a pro-am event, Holmgren is as complete a player to enter the NBA in a while. He has elite size and length measurements as a 7-foot center with a 7-foot-6 wingspan. He is an elite rim protector, using unbelievable anticipatory skills to be able to make a consistent impact. He can slide his feet a bit and guard out in space and was an elite help defender for a young player. On offense, he can actually handle the ball out in transition for his size, he’s a sharp passer particularly in high-low situations away from the rim, and he has potential to hit over 40 percent from 3. He fits every single box the Thunder look for as an organization that has prioritized plus positional size, length, skill and basketball IQ. To put the cherry on top, Holmgren’s work ethic seems not to have slowed down, and he’s one of the most competitive players I’ve evaluated in the decade I’ve been doing this, itching to get back on the court. The only reason I don’t have him at No. 1 is simply the question over how the frame holds up long term. For the two players above him, I just had to default to what they’ve already shown. But don’t get it twisted: If Holmgren hits, he’s going to be the best player in this class.