Preparing for the NBA Draft is a long and slow process. Professional explorers spend years evaluating prospects in any kind of draft, members of the media rush to prepare as much draft content as possible once the lottery order has been resolved and players visit teams across the country hoping to prove they are worthy of a selection. . When draft day finally arrives, the marathon becomes a sprint and suddenly everyone is left trying to catch their breath after what just happened.
The 2022 NBA Draft was a blur from the start. For months, the expectation was that Jabari Smith Jr. was the first selection of the Orlando Magic. Minutes before the Magic arrived on the clock, there were rumors that the Magic was leaning towards striker Duke Paolo Banchero. Banchero himself said he did not know he was going first in the general until 30 seconds before his name was announced.
Uncertainty with the best selection set the tone for an unpredictable night. Now that the dust has settled in, here are our draft night winners and losers.
Winner: Detroit Pistons
The Pistons were thought to be the biggest losers in the lottery after coming out with the No. 5 pick in a draft with four top players. Fortunately for Detroit, good things happen in the NBA Draft when you pick after the Sacramento Kings. The Pistons dropped Purdue stallion Jaden Ivey on his laps at No. 5, and then made an aggressive move to get downtown Memphis Jalen Duran at No. 13. We had the two players ranked in the top five on our board. great, which makes Detroit the biggest draft winner by a mile.
Ivey’s speed and athletics are a perfect combination alongside Cade Cunningham’s more deliberate play. Cunningham can space the floor and defend the most difficult task. Ivey can provide incredible tire pressure with its speed. This is a combination of thunder and lightning style back track that will give opponents adjustments for years to come.
Catching Duren at number 13 is also an amazing business. He adds another monstrous athlete to the roster who should hit local Cunningham lobes and provide excellent protection from the back edge of Ivey for years to come. We like Duran for his mega long, strong frame, his explosive jumping ability, his versatility in pick-and-roll covers, and his short-throw play ability. Earlier this month, I wrote that the Pistons should have taken him to No. 5 if Ivey was off the board.
Detroit suddenly has one of the best futures in the league after coming out with two of our top five players in this draft class. What a great run.
Loser: Sacramento Kings
Hours before the draft, this ESPN chart circulated on Twitter:
The Kings couldn’t get the draft wrong again with the fourth team at a top four-player level, right? Mal. Sacramento committed a cardinal draft sin by looking fit over the best player available. Ivey clearly had the maximum advantage and star power of any player left on the board, but Sacramento passed him on to Iowa striker Keegan Murray. That’s nothing against Murray, who should be a good professional for a long time with a 6’8 frame and a sweet shot, but he just doesn’t have the roof of someone like Ivey.
The Kings were so worried about the fit between Ivey and De’Aaron Fox that they let out a better perspective at their fingertips. We knew the Kings had the keys to this project from the start, and it should come as no surprise that they made the wrong decision after years of mismanagement. Murray will be a good player, and it wouldn’t surprise us too much if he ended up having a better career than Ivey, but we’re looking for Sacramento for the process instead of the results here. A franchise like the Kings, who haven’t reached the playoffs since 2006, have to go a long way in the draft. Instead, they were just trying to hit a double.
Winner: Orlando Magic
Everyone thought Jabari Smith Jr. it would be the Magic’s best selection, including Banchero, who continued to cancel his training sessions with Orlando because he didn’t think he had any chance of reaching No. 1. In fact, only one point of sale was projected. Banker to magic after solving the lottery, and that was us.
Banchero had been my best player in that class from my first board the day after the 2021 NBA Draft to my last board this week. I wrote about why the Magic should take it after they won the No. 1 election rights in the lottery. He was the best player and the one that best fit my eyes, and Orlando finally came to the same conclusion.
Here’s my big breakdown of why Banchero is the best prospect for this kind of draft. Ultimately, it boils down to his ability to create shots for himself and others at 6’10, 250 pounds. Smith is the best shooter, Holmgren is the best defender, but no one makes an offense as well as Banchero does. I also like that the Magic picked up Michigan winger Caleb Houstan in the second round. Houstan had a super disappointing first year with the Wolverines, but his size and shooting potential on the band make him a decent second-round bet.
Loser: Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets entered the draft pick at No. 13 and No. 15. Everyone knew the Hornets needed a center, and two great options, Jalen Duren and Mark Williams, were still on the board when they first came on the clock. So Charlotte executed a change, sending the rights to the No. 13 team to the Knicks, who were redirected to Detroit and eventually became Duren. The Hornets took Williams two picks later.
Williams is an obvious fit with Charlotte as a rim runner / protector with a ridiculous 7’7 wingspan. It will go well there. We simply had Duren rated it as a much better perspective because it is more versatile at both ends of the track. Williams is not a positive passer or a positive shooter – mostly just running, sinking and blocking shots, and that’s perfectly fine. We think Duren has more ability to make the game on the short throw and can play a variety of pick-and-roll covers, while Williams can only play drop.
In exchange for the No. 13 pick, the Hornets got the Denver Nuggets ’first round of 2023. Hopefully the Nuggets are contenders for the title with the return of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., so this selection probably won’t be too high. We would have preferred the Hornets to just take Duren, and then maybe move away from the number 15. Of course, Charlotte was also trying to make room to get Miles Bridges back, which they absolutely should do. We think his draft night could have gone better.
Winner: Houston Rockets
He was very excited about the Paolo Banchero-Jalen Green pairing that seemed imminent. Instead, the Magic surprised the world by taking Banchero to No. 1, which allowed Jabari Smith Jr. go down to number 3. While we would have given the Magic a B to take on Smith first, the Rockets get an A for taking him to number 3. It seems like a better place for their skill set, and the setting is wonderful next to Green.
Smith is an amazing shooter at 6’10, and is also a good defender. It will create an ocean of space for other Houston players to attack. With their other first-round picks, the Rockets selected two more players who can make the defenses pay in space. We love Tari Eason, Houston’s No. 17 general pick, for his ability to go down and attack the basket while being a great defensive game. The fact that Houston has TyTy Washington, a potential long-running lottery talent and a killer mid-range game, at number 29 makes its draft even more impressive.
The Rockets already had incredible young talent at Jalen Green to begin rebuilding. Smith, Eason and Washington will make Green better while improving the overall talent base on the roster. Houston’s future looks much brighter today than last week.
Winner: Shaedon Sharpe
Shaedon Sharpe decided not to play in Kentucky after enrolling mid-season as next year’s No. 1 recruit. It was the best decision he ever made. Although the best prospects like Jaden Hardy and Patrick Baldwin Jr. greatly damaged his actions by playing at the next level, Sharpe used his mysterious man’s appeal to reach number 7 in the general. Wondering if other potential customers will follow this route in the future.
Baldwin and Hardy were each of the top five high school recruits who will probably go to the lottery if they don’t play last season. Baldwin ended up having a terrible first year at Milwaukee for several reasons, and fell to No. 28. Hardy faced tough competition in the G League Ignite, suffered growth problems, improved as the season progressed, but still fell in the second round. Meanwhile, Sharpe avoided competition and thought that only his physical tools were enough to make him a lottery pick. He was right.
Loser: New York Knicks
The Knicks entered the draft with selection number 11. They didn’t use it. After several draft day operations, New York came out with three first-round picks, but all are protected by lottery or are expected to be near the end of the draft order. This is what the Knicks came out with:
- The selection of the first round of the Pistons of 2023 (protected 1-18 until 2024, protected 1-13 in 2025, protected 1-11 in 2026, protected 1-9 in 2027)
- Selection of the first round of the Wizards 2023 (protected 1-14 in 2023, protected 1-12 in 2024, protected 1-10 in 2025, protected 1-8 in 2026)
- Bucks 2025 first round selection (protected 1-4)
New York also cleared $ 18 million in a boundary space, which they are said to want to throw at Jalen Bruson. Maybe these moves will eventually look good for the Knicks, but for now it hurts to lose a lottery selection while receiving picks that will be less valuable.
Winner: Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies have gained more confidence in draft day decisions than any major league office. This is what happens when you find Desmond Bane at number 30 in the general a few years ago, and Brandon Clarke at 20.
Memphis came out with Jake LaRavia, David Roddy and Vince Williams. LaRavia and Roddy …