We may only be three weeks into the college basketball season, but projecting the top lottery draft pick is always fun no matter how much things can change between now and then. The early bird gets the worm, after all, so speculation about the No. 1 pick months in advance is natural.
Duke's Jahlil Okafor is still projected as the top overall pick by ESPN Insider Chad Ford. Okafor, cousin of NBA center Emeka Okafor, is an 18-year-old beast in the making. The freshman is currently averaging 17.1 points per game with 7.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for the 8-0 Blue Devils.
"Okafor has definitely lived up to the hype early in the season," Ford wrote. "He's shooting 74 percent from the field at the rim and an impressive 41 percent on his 2-point jumpers. His footwork, soft hands and poise in the paint have all been extraordinary. There hasn't been a freshman big man this polished offensively in a while. One small area of concern is on the defensive side of things. Okafor's 14.5 rebounding rate is solid, but not elite. For someone so big and strong, he should be grabbing more boards. However, he remains the consensus No. 1 pick in the draft. Emmanuel Mudiay and Karl-Anthony Towns (and possibly Kristaps Porzingis) will give him a serious run, but for now he's on top of the Big Board of every NBA exec I spoke with."
Ford admits to nitpicking, as Okafor is one of the most NBA-ready draft prospects to come along in a while. The Philadelphia 76ers, who just notched their first win of the season last night, have the best odds at landing the No. 1 overall pick at 1-17. Should Okafor's professional future be headed towards Philly, he would join fellow talented young prospects Nerlens Noel, Michael Carter-Williams and Joel Embiid. While that might create a logjam in the front court, accumulating talent is Philly's primary objective under general manager Sam Hinkie.
