Duke’s Jahlil Okafor entered the season as the presumptive No. 1 pick.
Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns made it a debate.
Now, Towns as overtaken Okafor.
Towns continues to tighten his grip on the No. 1 pick since we last covered him. In an informal poll of NBA scouts and GMs from 28 of the 30 teams in the league, the large majority of them had him No. 1 on their boards.
I don’t think anyone is surprised at this point that most teams favor Towns over Okafor, but there are still some who maintain it’s an issue of fit. “Large majority” indicates it’s not. Towns is just the better prospect.
That’s in large part part because Towns is more versatile. He’s more athletic, better defensively and has more shooting range. Those skills complement many more players than Okafor’s elite low-post game does.
Towns transcends fit – and that’s why it’d be a big upset if he doesn’t go No. 1 in June, no matter who wins next month’s lottery.
