Chet Holmgren and Jalen Suggs are two of the most decorated high school basketball players to come out of the state of Minnesota. After Tuesday night, it’s possible they could become teammates in the NBA.
The Orlando Magic won the NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night, giving it the No. 1 pick in next month’s draft. After landing Suggs with the fifth overall pick last year, the Magic could select Holmgren, who is one of the top prospects in this year’s class.
Holmgren enters the pre-draft process as the No. 1 prospect on ESPN’s Big Board. After averaging 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game during his lone season at Gonzaga, Holmgren figures to be one of the favorites to be selected with the top pick.
That’s not to say Holmgren won’t have competition. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has Auburn guard Jabari Smith Jr. going to Orlando, citing his elite shooting ability and strong defense.
SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell also believes that the Magic could take a different route, pegging Duke’s Paolo Banchero at No. 1 in his latest mock draft. Purdue’s Jaden Ivey is also in consideration for the top pick, but Minnesotans will be pulling for Holmgren to land in Orlando.
Suggs and Holmgren dominated at Minnehaha Academy, becoming part of a dynasty that won four straight Class 3A state championships.
The duo also became the second pair of teammates to win back-to-back Minnesota Mr. Basketball Awards with Suggs winning for the 2019-20 season and Holmgren winning the award for the 2020-21 season.
While Suggs and Holmgren didn’t play together at Gonzaga, they also had an impact in deep tournament runs. Suggs hit one of the greatest buzzer-beaters in the history of the NCAA Tournament while leading the Bulldogs to the national championship game in 2021 while Holmgren led Gonzaga to the Sweet 16 last season.
If the hometown duo teams up in Orlando, they could have a chance to do some damage in the NBA. If that happens, the Magic could temporarily become “one of us.”
