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.
Either way, it worked for the Detroit Pistons, who were happy to take Ivey to No. 5. After getting Cade Cunningham with the first pick last year, they now have the elements of a backcourt. fantastic.
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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 Andrew Nembhard PG | Gonzaga 2. Tro
Chet HolmgrenC | Gonzaga
32. Magic Caleb Houstan SF | Michigan 3. Rockets
Jabari Smith PF | Auburn
33. Raptors Christian Koloko C | Arizona 4. Kings
Keegan Murray PF | Iowa
34. Tro Jaylin Williams PF | Arkansas 5. Pistons
Garden Ivey SG | Purdue
35. Lakers * Max ChristieSG | Michigan St.6. Pacers
Benedict MathurinSG | Arizona
36. Trail Blazers Gabriele ProcidaSF | Italy 7. Trail Blazers
Shaedon SharpeSG | Kentucky
37. Reis * Jaden Hardy SG | G League Ignite8. Pelicans
Dyson DanielsSG | G Ignite League
38. Spurs * Kennedy Chandler PG | Tennessee 9. Spurs
Jeremy SochanPF | Baylor
39. Cavallers Khalifa Diop C | Senegal 10. Mags
Johnny DavisSF | Wisconsin
40. Timberwolves * Bryce McGowens SF | Nebraska 11. Knicks * Ousmane DiengSF | France 4 Pelicans EJ Liddell PF | Ohio St.12. Thunder Jalen WilliamsSG | Santa Clara 42. Knicks Trevor Keels SG | Duc 13. Hornets * Dry DurenC | Memphis43. Clippers Moussa Diabate PF | Michigan14. Cavaliers Ochai AgbajiSG | Kansas44. Hawks * Ryan Rollins SG | Toledo 1 Hornets Mark WilliamsC | Duc45. Hornets Josh Minott PF | Memphis 1 Hawks AJ GriffinSF | Duc46. Pistons * Ishmael Kamagate C | France 1 Rockets Tari EasonPF | LSU47. The Grizzlies Vince Williams Jr. SF | VCU18. Bulls Valley TerrySF | Arizona48. Timberwolves * Kendall Brown SF | Baylor19. Timberwolves * Jake LaRaviaPF | Wake Forest49. Cavaliers * Isaiah Mobley PF | USC2 Spurs Malachi BranhamSF | Ohio St.50. Timberwolves Matteo Spagnolo PG | Italy 2 Nuggets Christian BraunSG | Kansas 51. Warriors * Tyrese Martin SG | UConn22. Grizzlies * Walker KesslerC | Auburn52. Pelicans Karlo Matkovic C | Serbia 2 76ers * David RoddySG | Colo. St.53. Celtics JD Davison PG | Alabama 24. Bucks MarJon BeauchampSF | G League Ignite54. Mags Yannick Snake C | Congo25. Spurs Blake WesleySG | Notre Dame 5 Warriors Gui Santos SF | Brazil 2 Rockets * Wendell Moore Jr.SF | Duc56. Cavaliers Luke Travers SF Australia 27. Heat Nikola JovicSF | Serbia 57. Trail Blazers Jabari Walker SF | Colorado 28. Warriors Patrick Baldwin Jr.PF | Milwaukee58. Pacers Hugo Besson PG | France 2 Grizzlies * TyTy Washington Jr.PG | Kentucky 30. Nuggets * Peyton WatsonSF | UCLA
* – choose part of the informed trade