With just two weeks to go until the NBA Draft, there's going to be a whole lot of information pouring in. A lot of it will be smokescreens, but if you can see through the smoke, you can find some info that could change the general consensus.
The consensus at the top of the NBA Draft has been that the top three will be, in order, AJ Dybantsa (Wizards), Darryn Peterson (Jazz), and Cameron Boozer (Grizzlies). But some experts have been pushing back at the consensus and telling anyone who will listen that it might not be as cut and dry as you may think.
It has felt, based on fit, that if Boozer isn't going No. 3, it would be because the Wizards took him at No. 1. But Bill Simmons, one of the most connected voices in NBA media, threw a curveball on his podcast that could upend the NBA Draft.
Bill Simmons believes Danny Ainge and the Jazz may take Cameron Boozer at No. 2
"I think Danny (Ainge) is such a wildcard at 2nd," Simmons said. "There's no way to predict it. He's going to take input from everyone, but it's going to come down to..he's going to be watching these guys, and he's going to hone in on some kind of specific thing that he's been able to do over and over again. He did it with (Jayson) Tatum, he did it with (Jaylen) Brown, he did it when he was going to take (Kevin) Durant. Over and over again, he looks at the high-end talent guys and just is able to project them.
"You would think it's going to happen with Peterson, but I think there's too many red flags. I think he's going to stay away from Peterson. I could see him taking Boozer at two. ...I might be wrong, but I really think they're gonna take Boozer."
That would certainly be a massive curveball. The Jazz have long been viewed as not much of an option for the National Player of the Year, if for no other reason than an overcrowded frontcourt. The Jazz made a trade at the deadline this season to acquire Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies, adding him to a front line that already included Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler.
But Ainge has never cared about conventional wisdom or roster fit. Simmons notes later in that clip that he took Tatum in Boston despite already having Brown and Gordon Hayward, who played similar positions. Ainge is going to take the guy he believes is the best player and will have the best career out of the bunch. If that's Boozer in his mind, he's not going to let the other guys he has in the frontcourt deter him.
Simmons is just making an educated guess, but when he talks about these things, it would be wise to listen. He was one of the first last year to connect Ace Bailey to the Jazz in the pre-draft process. Simmons, a lifelong Celtics fan, is plugged into NBA media and knows how Ainge thinks in these situations.
While it remains to be seen what the Jazz ultimately do, and some disagree with Simmons' thoughts on it, it's just another example that the top of the draft is far from settled, and you shouldn't go buy your Grizzlies Boozer jersey just yet.
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