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 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 41. Pelicans EJ Liddell PF | Ohio St.12. Thunder Jalen WilliamsSG | Santa Clara 42. Knicks 13. Hornets * Jalen DurenC | Memphis43. Clippers 14. Cavaliers Ochai AgbajiSG | Kansas44. Hawks 15. Hornets Mark WilliamsC | Duc45. Hornets 16. Falcons AJ GriffinSF | Duc46. Pistons 17. Rockets Tari EasonPF | LSU47. Grizzlies 18. Bulls Dalen TerrySF | Arizona48. Timberwolves 19. Timberwolves * Jake LaRaviaPF | Wake Forest49. Cavaliers * 20. Spurs Malaki BranhamSF | Ohio St.50. Timberwolves 21. Nuggets Christian BraunSG | Kansas 51. Warriors 22. Grizzlies * Walker KesslerC | Auburn52. Pelicans 23. 76ers * David RoddySG | Colo St.53. Celtics 24. Bucks MarJon BeauchampSF | G League Ignite54. Mags 25. Spurs Blake WesleySG | Notre Dame55. Warriors 26. Rockets * Wendell Moore Jr.SF | Duc56. Cavallers 27. Heat Nikola JovicSF | Serbia 57. Trail Blazers 28. Warriors Patrick Baldwin Jr.PF | Milwaukee58. Pacers 29. Grizzlies * TyTy Washington Jr.PG | Kentucky 30. Nuggets * Peyton WatsonSF | UCLA
* – Informed trade