2022 NBA Draft Live: Orlando Magic Take Paolo Banchero No. 1 Overall

Stadium Talk writer Tony Adame provides live coverage, analysis and grades for the 2022 NBA draft.

The wait is over for basketball’s next generation.

The 2022 NBA draft took place Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and Stadium Talk writer Tony Adame has live coverage, analysis and grades for the first round as the picks come in.

Here are some links to some of our previous NBA Draft coverage:

30. Denver Nuggets: Peyton Watson, Small Forward, UCLA

Amanda Loman / AP Photo

One year of college basketball almost pushed 6-foot-8 forward Peyton Watson completely out of the first round of the NBA Draft — he averaged 3.3 points in just 12 minutes per game in his freshman year at UCLA. That was the lowest scoring average of any player selected in the first round.

Grade: D

29. Memphis Grizzlies (traded to Minnesota): TyTy Washington, Point Guard, Kentucky

Sean Rayford / AP Photo

There aren’t a lot of pure point guards in the 2022 NBA draft, but TyTy Washington might be the best of them. He battled injuries later in the year but his 17-point, 17-assist game in a win over Georgia in January showed scouts just about everything they needed.

Grade: B-

28. Golden State Warriors: Patrick Baldwin Jr., Power Forward, Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Alan Youngblood / AP Photo

What a difference a year makes. Patrick Baldwin Jr. was a surefire lottery pick coming out of high school just one year ago but instead of going to an elite, Power Five school, decided to play his one year of college basketball for his father at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Baldwin, a 6-foot-9 power forward, tanked in his one year playing for his dad. He was hurt for most of the season and only played in 11 games, where he averaged 12.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and shot 34.4 percent from the field. And the season ended with his dad getting fired.

Grade: D+

27. Miami Heat: Nikola Jovic, Forward, Serbia

DraftExpress / Twitter

Get ready to be confused NBA fans — this 19-year-old Nikola Jovic’s name is just one letter off reigning two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.

Jovic lit it up at the U19 Worlds a few years ago and is a stretch power forward who can shoot the three with lethal accuracy. Interesting pick and makes us just remember that next year, the No. 1 overall pick will most certainly be from Europe with 7-foot-3 French phenom Victor Wembanyama, who some consider a once-in-a-generation talent.

Grade: C+

26. Dallas Mavericks: Wendell Moore, Small Forward, Duke

Brynn Anderson / AP Photo

Moore was perhaps the most improved player in the nation in 2021-22. Every single part of his game got better as he helped lead the Blue Devils to the Final Four as a junior and won the Julius Erving Award as the nation’s top small forward.

One knock on Moore is that at 6-foot-5 he’s a little undersized to play forward in the NBA, but the fact he doubled his assists average to 4.4, shot 41.2 percent on 3-pointers and 50 percent from the field shows he might have what it takes to play shooting guard.

He’s the fourth Duke player taken in the first round.

Grade: C

25. San Antonio Spurs: Blake Wesley, Guard, Notre Dame

Denis Poroy / AP Photo

Wesley wasn’t a player thought of as a first-round pick when he signed with Notre Dame, but his immediate impact got him on the radar of NBA scouts early in his freshman season.

The former four-star recruit played his way into Mike Brey’s starting lineup in the first month of the season and proved to be one of the better guards in the ACC. Great pickup for the Spurs late in the first round … which was also their third pick of the first round.

Grade: B-

24. Milwaukee Bucks: MarJON Beauchamp, Small Forward, G-League Ignite

Ron Schwane / AP Photo

Beauchamp has already had a pretty strange basketball journey. He played for four different high schools and looked ready to join the G-League Ignite out of high school but instead opted to play for Yakima Valley College, a community college in his hometown of Yakima, Washington, where he only played 12 games and averaged 30 points and 10 rebounds.

After one year of juco ball, the 6-foot-6 forward … ended up playing for the G-League Ignite. What a wild ride for Beauchamp and what a night for G-League Ignite, who saw its second player taken in the first round.

Grade: C+

23. Philadelphia 76ers (traded to Memphis): David Roddy, Small Forward, Colorado State

Michael Conroy / AP Photo

The Philadelphia 76ers picked Mountain West Player of the Year David Roddy at No. 23 overall then traded the pick to the Memphis Grizzlies. Roddy is a 6-foot-6 big man who is listed as a small forward but appears to be much more of a traditional power forward.

No NBA franchise has went through as much drama in the last few years as the Philadelphia 76ers — a mind-numbing mess of Ben Simmons refusing to play, James Harden looking like he was playing with a tire around his waist and center Joel Embiid turning in one of the best seasons by an NBA center in the last two decades.

Grade: C

22. Memphis Grizzlies (traded to Minnesota): Walker Kessler, Center, Auburn

Brynn Anderson / AP Photo

Kessler’s promise on the defensive end was too much to let him fall out of the first round — the 7-foot center and SEC Defensive Player of the Year averaged 4.6 blocks in 2021-2022.

He had two triple-doubles last season with blocks, points and rebounds. You don’t hear about that very often. Also the first time two Auburn players have gone in the first round in the “modern draft era” following No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith.

I’m just not sure on what the fit is here for Kessler other than watching Karl-Anthony Towns play from the bench.

Grade: C

21. Denver Nuggets: Christian Braun, Shooting Guard, Kansas

Charles Rex Arbogast / AP Photo

It was wild to see Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji go in the lottery, where he was selected No. 14 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Because teammate Christian Braun seemed like a much better prospect.

Braun is 6-foot-7, defends really well, rebounds really well and seemed to hit shots in the clutch for Kansas on the way to winning the 2022 NCAA championship. Just a gamer.

Grade: B+

20. San Antonio Spurs: Malaki Branham, Guard/Forward, Ohio State

Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo

Branham, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard/small forward wasn’t a player Ohio State fans thought they would only have for one year, but the former four-star recruit out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High in Akron, Ohio, began to catch fire midway through the season and likely played his way into the first round.

Branham, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, scored over 30 points in a single game twice, and both in wins over ranked opponents. Don’t really see him playing forward in the NBA but this seems like a steal for the Spurs at the No. 20 pick — I really thought he was a lottery pick a month or so ago.

Grade: B+

19. Minnesota Timberwolves (traded to Memphis): Jake LaRavia, Forward, Wake Forest

John Minchillo / AP Photo

Wow the Memphis Grizzlies must have really, really wanted 6-foot-8 Wake Forest forward Jake LaRavia — they swapped their No. 22 and No. 29 picks in this year’s draft to get him.

LaRavia actually started his college career at Indiana State, where he played two seasons before he transferred to Wake Forest and played one season there, making second team All-ACC in his one season for head coach Steve Forbes.

Grade: B-

18. Chicago Bulls: Dalen Terry, Guard, Arizona

David J. Phillip / AP Photo

Terry made the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team as a sophomore in 2021-2022 and came onto draft boards late in the process — he’s joining teammate Bennedict Mathurin as first-round picks out of Arizona in 2022.

With Zach Lavine as an unrestricted free agent, the Bulls are going to need backcourt help, and adding an elite defender can’t hurt.

Grade: C+

17. Houston Rockets: Tari Eason, Forward, LSU

Gerald Herbert / AP Photo

Eason thrived after transferring from Cincinnati to LSU for his sophomore season. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 16.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and was not only an All-SEC pick, but he did so coming off the bench and was named SEC Sixth Man of the Year.

Eason seemed like a lottery pick pretty much up until the last month or so leading up to the draft, when his name stopped circulating as much. The Rockets thought Eason was the best defender in the draft … shades of Jaylen Brown?

Grade: B+

16. Atlanta Hawks: A.J. Griffin, Forward, Duke

Gerry Broome / AP Photo

The son of former NBA player and current Toronto Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin, A.J. Griffin probably could have been a higher draft pick had he gone anywhere other than Duke, where he played mostly in the shadow of No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero.

A.J. Griffin was actually projected as a possible No. 1 overall pick before he came to Duke and you can make an argument he really dropped here to land at No. 16. The dude can really shoot, but has been somewhat injury prone.

A.J. Griffin was the third Duke player picked in the 2022 NBA Draft … could there be two more with Wendell Moore and Trevor Keels?

Grade: B

15. Charlotte Hornets: Mark Williams, Center, Duke

Chris Carlson / AP Photo

The nation got to see a dominant, legit big man operate in the NCAA tournament with 7-foot Duke center Mark Williams, who earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors as a sophomore in 2021-22.

The Hornets need to surround star guard LaMelo Ball with some muscle and they get it with Williams, who shot 70 percent from the floor and 70 percent from the free-throw line in 2021-2022.

Grade: B

14. Cleveland Cavaliers: Ochai Agbaji, Guard, Kansas

Brynn Anderson / AP Photo

It’s been funny to hear NBA draftniks talk about Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji being 22 years old like most people would talk about someone who was on death’s doorstep.

Agbaji cemented his status in the first round of the NBA draft after leading the Jayhawks to the 2022 national championship and earning Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors and showed he could shoot it from beyond the three-point arc.

The Cavs need complimentary players for a promising roster that showed they could be an Eastern Conference power in a few years. Nothing exciting about this pick to close out the lottery.

Grade: C

13. Charlotte Hornets (traded to New York, then Detroit): Jalen Duren, Center, Memphis

Craig Mitchelldyer / AP Photo

Update: There’s some confusion on who Duren’s rights actually belong to now — there was a report he was traded to the Detroit Pistons after being selected by the Charlotte Hornets, but NBA commissioner Adam Silver definitely came out and said he was also traded to the New York Knicks. Looks like he’s a Piston and the deal was for him to be traded to the Knicks with the understanding he would ultimately end up with the Pistons. I think.

What an epic night for the Detroit Pistons — they ended up with an elite guard with Jaden Ivey and an elite big man with Jalen Duren, with Duren coming via a trade with the Charlotte Hornets, with Detroit giving up its 2025 first-round pick.

Jalen Duren has been pegged for the NBA since his sophomore year of high school. One look at the 6-foot-11, 250-pound Philadelphia native will tell you why.

Duren reclassified to the Class of 2021 and played one season of college basketball at extra-messy Memphis for Penny Hardaway. Despite the distractions, Duren still managed to average 12.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and shoot 59.7 percent from the field.

Grade: B+

12. Oklahoma City Thunder: Jalen Williams, Guard, Santa Clara

Young Kwak / AP Photo

What an absolute come up for Jalen Williams, who burst onto draft boards with a big-time performance at the NBA Combine — the 6-foot-6 guard joins Oklahoma City’s youth movement and is the first Santa Clara player selected since Steve Nash in 1996.

Williams, who has a 7-foot-2 wingspan, shot 56 percent from the field and averaged 18.0 points, 4.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 2021-2022. Oklahoma City has put all of its chips into a rebuild that is solely focused on the NBA Draft and building the team that way.

However Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti’s grand plan pans out, it’s been fascinating to watch. What a night for the Thunder, who have a fourth first-round pick at No. 30.

Grade: B

11. New York Knicks (traded to Oklahoma City): Ousmane Dieng

Twitter

Oh my goodness. Finally, a trade. The New York Knicks selected 6-foot-11 Ousmane Dieng then traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder for draft picks. There’s something you have to love about what the Thunder have done by picking a 6-foot-11 forward and 7-foot center in this draft, with Chet Holmgren at No. 2 overall.

Dieng played at a basketball academy in Paris, France, before playing for the New Zealand Breakers in 2021-2022 — he’s also only 19 years old. That experience against grown men … don’t underestimate it.

Grade: B

10. Washington Wizards: Johnny Davis, Guard, Wisconsin

Morry Gash / AP Photo

Wisconsin guard Johnny Davis was a study in productivity during his sophomore season — he doubled his average in rebounds and assists, almost tripled his scoring average. His free-throw percentage jumped up from around 70 percent to 80 percent.

Davis, at 6-foot-5, rebounds really well for a guard — the 2022 Big Ten Player of the Year averaged 19.7 points and 8.2 rebounds. Davis dropped a little for some reason. He’s a walking bucket. Great pickup for the Wizards.

Grade: B+

9. San Antonio Spurs: Jeremy Sochan, Forward, Baylor

Tony Gutierrez / AP Photo

At 6-foot-9 and 230 pounds, it’s not a stretch to see Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year Jeremy Sochan playing both power forward and his “natural” position of small forward. Or does that make him a tweener?

Sochan, who grew up in England, could find his way onto the forward pretty quickly for the Spurs because he can rebound and play defense.

Grade: B

8. New Orleans Pelicans: Dyson Daniels, Guard/Forward, G-League Unite

Ron Schwane / AP Photo

Daniels is trying to follow in the footsteps of fellow Australian and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft.

Daniels, 6-foot-6, got some good experience playing for the G League Ignite during what would have been his freshman year of college. He just turned 19 years old in March 2022.

This one is kind of a surprise — it seems like Duke’s A.J. Griffin would be a smarter move right here. Whatever happens, the Pelicans’ future isn’t going to be decided by this pick and whoever the team selected, they hope, will be a complimentary player to 2019 No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson at some point in the future.

Shades of Dante Exum right here.

Grade: C

7. Portland Trail Blazers: Shaedon Sharpe, Guard, Kentucky

TrailBlazersPT / Twitter

It’s been a weird path to the NBA draft for Sharpe, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard who never stepped foot on the court for the University of Kentucky despite being arguably the Wildcats’ top recruit. Then dude just decided not to play.

Sharpe was the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2022 and reclassified to the Class of 2021 but wasn’t able to enroll at Kentucky until January 2021. Just turned 19 years old three weeks before the draft.

If you want to compare someone in the draft to Ja Morant, this is the guy.

Grade: B+

6. Indiana Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin, Guard/Forward, Arizona

Denis Poroy / AP Photo

Mathurin could be another Canada-to-the-NBA success story — look no further than fellow Canadian Andrew Wiggins winning an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2022. The 2022 Pac-12 Player of the Year cemented his status as a top draft pick with a couple of virtuoso performances in the NCAA tournament.

One thing that we should note is while Mathurin’s scoring average leaped up in 2021-2022, his free-throw, 3-point and field-goal shooting percentages all went down noticeably. Not good.

Pacers should’ve taken Shaedon Sharpe.

Grade: C

5. Detroit Pistons: Jaden Ivey, Guard, Purdue

Chris Szagola / AP Photo

Jaden Ivey had his name bounced around as a possible No. 1 overall pick leading up to the draft, which speaks more to his crazy athleticism. Now paired with 2021 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, it looks like the Pistons have their backcourt for the next decade … now bring on that Deandre Ayton contract offer!! (h/t to my old colleague Josh Wood)

Quick fact: Ivey is a third-generation professional athlete. His grandfather, James Hunter, played defensive back for the Detroit Lions in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Ivey’s father, Javin Hunter, was an NFL wide receiver in the early 2000s, and his mother, Notre Dame head women’s basketball coach Niele Ivey, played five seasons in the WNBA.

The Ja Morant comparisons are a bit much, but still a great pick.

Grade: A-

4. Sacramento Kings: Keegan Murray, Forward, Iowa

Michael Conroy / AP Photo

Murray made a quantum leap as a sophomore at Iowa in 2021-22. His scoring average jumped from 7.2 points to 23.5 points to go with 8.7 points, 1.9 blocks and 1.3 steals. He’s 6-foot-8, can go seamlessly between either forward spot and also shot almost 40 percent on 3s.

That being said — he now has to play for the Sacramento Kings. Which is its own special kind of punishment.

Grade: B

3. Houston Rockets: Jabari Smith, Forward, Auburn

Butch Dill / AP Photo

I never understood why Jabari Smith was looked at as a prospect in the same realm as Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero but watching Smith’s face as he dropped to No. 3 was tough. And yes, you can drop to No. 3.

The son of a former NBA journeyman forward, Smith shot up the draft boards after just one season at Auburn, where the 6-foot-10 forward was able to shine despite playing with guards who seemed allergic to passing him the ball at times.

Did Kendrick Perkins just compare him to Shareef Abdur-Rahim? That’s pretty accurate.

Grade: B+

2. Oklahoma City Thunder: Chet Holmgren, Center, Gonzaga

Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP Photo

The Oklahoma City Thunder stuck to their guns and selected Chet Holmgren No. 2 overall — he could have easily been a No. 1 pick in most years. Holmgren really is a unicorn as a 7-footer who can shoot from long distance. The thought of him alongside Josh Giddey and Shea Gilgeous-Alexander fills us up with a certain type of joy. You can’t be anything but beside yourself with happiness right now if you’re a Thunder fan.

Holmgren’s NBA presence will be felt right away on defense. He averaged 3.7 blocks during his freshman season at Gonzaga, and he will catch up pretty quickly on offense, where his ability to shoot 3-pointers should set him apart quickly.

In other news … Auburn forward Jabari Smith looks absolutely shook right now.

Grade: A

1. Orlando Magic: Paolo Banchero, Power Forward, Duke

Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP Photo

This is one of those times when you just can’t help but love the NBA Draft — all signs pointed to the Orlando Magic picking Auburn forward Jabari Smith at No. 1 overall but they pulled off one of the great bait-and-switches in draft history by taking Duke’s Paolo Banchero.

Banchero, at 6-foot-10, can play either forward position and it’s not far-fetched to see him averaging close to his college totals of 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists from the jump. He was also at his best in the NCAA Tournament.

What an absolute stunner. You love to see it. Let’s go!!!

Grade: A+