We have gone past the NBA trade deadline and are soon at the All-Star Game, which can mean only one thing: Some teams are already ready for the season to be over and the lottery balls to decide their fate.
While some seasons have seen teams doing their best to secure the best odds of landing a singular generational talent, like the San Antonio Spurs with Victor Wembanyama, the upcoming NBA Draft is different.
Instead of one generational talent, this might be considered one of the deepest drafts ever in terms of young phenoms. The top three players, in particular, have all been called special players who could be the face of the NBA in five years.
With a month to go before the golden trio battle it out in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, AKA March Madness, there’s enough of a sample size to make your choice.
Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, and Duke‘s Cameron Boozer.
Who should be the top pick for the team that is lucky (or unlucky) enough to have to make the decision between the three?
Here’s my ranking of the three going into the home stretch of conference play.
3. AJ Dybantsa
When it comes to getting to the rim with his raw athleticism, Dybansta already looks like he could drop 20 a night in the NBA with little issue. In a normal draft, he’d be the clear-cut top choice (and he still might), but there is a little bit less polish compared to his two rivals.
If he can be more consistent with his long ball and mid-range game, then there’s no reason why he couldn’t be a top guard in his first two years in the league.
2. Cameron Boozer
Boozer is simply a monster. He has an engine that doesn’t quit, and he will make anyone guarding him need an oxygen mask by the end of the game. Although he doesn’t have the alien-like size of a Wembanyama or the overwhelming power of a Zion Williamson, Boozer is his own kind of player.
If you ask him to get 20 rebounds, he will get you 21 and then add 16 points and an assist in there for fun. Put him on a team with an elite playmaker, and that’s a squad that other teams will hate playing against.
1. Darryn Peterson
He’s just unfair.
Peterson is what happens when you create a rookie in a video game and cheat by maxing out all their stats before the new season starts. He can kill you from deep, beat you in the mid-range, and also explode to the basket for an easy score if not guarded properly.
While his multitude of small injuries and illnesses that have kept him out of games might be a concern, depending on whether there’s anything nefarious behind the scenes, he’s too talented to ignore.
Peterson, if he translates to the NBA, will be a top 10 player in the next three years. Regardless of character concerns and two rivals that could be just as good in the right environment, it’s impossible not pick him.
Newsweek