There aren’t usually too many surprises in the NBA Draft these days, but Thursday night started with a major one, as the Orlando Magic selected striker Duke Paolo Banchero with the first overall selection. For weeks, they were expected to pull Jabari Smith out of Auburn, and it’s still unclear if it was all an elaborate smokescreen or if they changed their minds at the last minute.
The Magic is said to have never hosted Banchero for a formal training or interview in Orlando, suggesting it might be the last.
In any case, the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off Gonzaga’s great Chet Holmgren as expected, while the Houston Rockets went with Smith to complete the top three. The Rockets had probably been planning on Banchero, but Smith would still have to fit in well as a sharp-shot striker to pair up with Jalen Green.
Of course, no draft could be complete without the Sacramento Kings doing something out of the box, and they took Keegan Murray with the fourth overall selection despite almost all the predictions suggesting that Purdue’s Jaden Ivey was the fourth best player. Maybe they really believe in Murray, or maybe they were wary of taking a guard with their first selection for the third year in a row.
It’s an intense night around the NBA and here we’ll tell you all about the action. Here’s how to watch the NBA Draft Thursday night.
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Order of the Draft of the NBA 2022
Round 1 Selection Round 2 Selection1. Magic
Paolo Banchero | PF | duc
31. Pacers 2. Tro
Chet Holmgren | C | Gonzaga
32. Magic 3. Rockets
Jabari Smith | PF | Auburn
33. Predators 4. Kings
Keegan Murray | PF | Iowa
34. Tro 5. Pistons
Garden Ivey | SG | Purdue
35. Lakers * 6. Pacers
Benedict Mathurin | SG | Arizona
36. Trail Blazers 7. Trail Blazers
Shaedon Sharpe | SG | Kentucky
37. Kings 8. Pelicans
Dyson Daniels | SG | G Ignite League
38. Spurs 9. Spurs
Jeremy Sochan | PF | Baylor
39. Knights 10. Mags
Johnny Davis | SF | Wisconsin
40. Timberwolves 11. Knicks * Ousmane Dieng | SF | France 41. Pelicans 12. Thunder Jalen Williams | SG | Santa Clara 42. Knicks 13. Hornets * Jalen Duren | C | Memphis43. Clippers 14. Cavaliers Ochai Agbaji | SG | Kansas44. Hawks 15. Hornets Mark Williams | C | Duc45. Hornets 16. Falcons AJ Griffin | SF | Duc46. Pistons 17. Rockets Tari Eason | PF | LSU47. Grizzlies 18. Bulls Dalen Terry | SF | Arizona48. Timberwolves 19. Timberwolves * Jake LaRavia | PF | Wake Forest49. Cavaliers * 20. Spurs Malaki Branham | SF | Ohio St.50. Timberwolves 21. Nuggets Christian Braun | SG | Kansas 51. Warriors 22. Grizzlies * Walker Kessler | C | Auburn52. Pelicans 23. 76ers * David Roddy | SG | Colo St.53. Celtics 24. Bucks MarJon Beauchamp | SF | G League Ignite54. Mags 25. Spurs Blake Wesley | SG | Notre Dame55. Warriors 26. Rockets 56. Cavaliers 27. Heat 57. Trail Blazers 28. Warriors 58. Pacers 29. Grizzlies * 30. Nuggets
* – Informed trade