There usually aren’t too many surprises in the NBA Draft in this day and age, but Thursday night started out with a major one as the Orlando Magic selected Duke forward Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 overall pick. For weeks, the expectation had been that they would take Jabari Smith out of Auburn, and it’s still unclear if that was all an elaborate smokescreen or they changed their mind at the last minute.
The Magic reportedly never hosted Banchero for a formal workout or interview in Orlando, which suggests it could be the latter.
In any case, the Oklahoma City Thunder then took big man Chet Holmgren out of Gonzaga as expected, while the Houston Rockets went with Smith to round out the top-three. The Rockets had likely been planning on Banchero, but Smith should still fit in nicely as a sharp-shooting forward to pair 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 No. 4 overall pick despite almost all prognostications suggesting that Purdue’s Jaden Ivey was the clear fourth-best player. Perhaps they truly believe in Murray, or perhaps they were wary of taking a guard with their first pick for the third straight year.
It’s a busy night around the NBA, and we’ll have you covered with all the action right here. Here’s how to watch Thursday night’s NBA Draft.
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2022 NBA Draft order
| Round 1 | Selection | Round 2 | Selection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Magic |
Paolo Banchero |
31. Pacers | Andrew Nembhard PG | Gonzaga |
| 2. Thunder |
Chet Holmgren |
32. Magic | Caleb Houstan SF | Michigan |
| 3. Rockets |
Jabari Smith |
33. Raptors | Christian Koloko C | Arizona |
| 4. Kings |
Keegan Murray |
34. Thunder | Jaylin Williams PF | Arkansas |
| 5. Pistons |
Jaden Ivey |
35. Lakers* | Max Christie SG | Michigan St. |
| 6. Pacers |
Bennedict Mathurin |
36. Trail Blazers | Gabriele Procida SF | Italy |
| 7. Trail Blazers |
Shaedon Sharpe |
37. Kings* | |
| 8. Pelicans |
Dyson Daniels |
38. Spurs | |
| 9. Spurs |
Jeremy Sochan |
39. Cavaliers | |
| 10. Wizards |
Johnny Davis |
40. Timberwolves | |
| 11. Knicks* | Ousmane Dieng SF | France |
41. Pelicans | |
| 12. Thunder | Jalen Williams SG | Santa Clara |
42. Knicks | |
| 13. Hornets* | Jalen Duren C | Memphis |
43. Clippers | |
| 14. Cavaliers | Ochai Agbaji SG | Kansas |
44. Hawks | |
| 15. Hornets | Mark Williams C | Duke |
45. Hornets | |
| 16. Hawks | AJ Griffin SF | Duke |
46. Pistons | |
| 17. Rockets | Tari Eason PF | LSU |
47. Grizzlies | |
| 18. Bulls | Dalen Terry SF | Arizona |
48. Timberwolves | |
| 19. Timberwolves* | Jake LaRavia PF | Wake Forest |
49. Cavaliers* | |
| 20. Spurs | Malaki Branham SF | Ohio St. |
50. Timberwolves | |
| 21. Nuggets | Christian Braun SG | Kansas |
51. Warriors | |
| 22. Grizzlies* | Walker Kessler C | Auburn |
52. Pelicans | |
| 23. 76ers* | David Roddy SG | Colo. St. |
53. Celtics | |
| 24. Bucks | MarJon Beauchamp SF | G League Ignite |
54. Wizards | |
| 25. Spurs | Blake Wesley SG | Notre Dame |
55. Warriors | |
| 26. Rockets* | Wendell Moore Jr. SF | Duke |
56. Cavaliers | |
| 27. Heat | Nikola Jovic SF | Serbia |
57. Trail Blazers | |
| 28. Warriors | Patrick Baldwin Jr. PF | Milwaukee |
58. Pacers | |
| 29. Grizzlies* | TyTy Washington Jr. PG | Kentucky |
||
| 30. Nuggets | Peyton Watson SF | UCLA |
* – reported trade
This news is republished from another source. You can check the original article here