2022 NBA Draft Recap

By Graham Hoffman

Any professional sports league's draft will always be filled to the brim with drama and surprises but this year's draft was fairly quiet after the first five picks. So who are the biggest winners and losers of this draft? Let's break it down.

Winners

Paulo Banchero

Going into this draft Jarabri Smith was the consensus number one overall pick. Even in mock drafts made a few hours before the draft, everyone had the Magic taking Smith at the very top. Instead, the Magic selected Paulo Banchero number one giving him a nice boost to his salary for the next couple of years.

Houston Rockets

Everyone thought Jarabri Smith was going to go number one, he didn't go number two either. The Houston Rockets got a total steal with the third pick. Paulo Banchero would’ve been great in Houston but Jarabri Smith is a far better fit for this team. Smith will pair up well with Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. Being a great perimeter shooter and able to guard bigs will allow him to fit well in Houston. Their selection with the 29th pick in this draft was also really good. TyTy Washington is a versatile athlete who can play on or off the ball which should add more depth to this squad.

Detroit Pistons

JALEN IVEY. Not sure how the Kings passed on this guy with the 4th overall pick in the draft but good on the Pistons for making the obvious choice at 5. Ivey is the best athlete in the draft standing at a tall 6’4 for a guard. His three-level scoring will match perfectly with Cade Cunningham making a perfect one-two punch for the Pistons' offense. If Ivey lives up to his potential we could see him dominate defenses similar to Russell Westbrook at OKC. Then to add a cherry on top the Pistons traded up to select Jalen Duren out of Memphis. Another player physically unmatched, Duren probably would’ve been a top 3 pick in the NBA 20 years ago but his lack of perimeter play has dropped his stock. Even if he isn’t a floor spacer, adding another great young player to this core sets the Pistons up very well for the future.

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks, who are trying to add the last pieces to their championship contending roster, definitely got closer to their goal. AJ Griffin is the best three-point shooter in this draft. Putting him alongside Trae Young and the rest of this three-point shooting roster should be a successful recipe.

Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers traded away two guys who probably wouldn’t contribute much to their title hopes (Danny Green coming off a torn ACL and Colorado State forward David Roddy picked at 23) for a talented guard De'Anthony Melton. This next year feels like a make-or-break season so adding any win-now talent is a good move. Melton also is going to valuable for a few years and hasn’t reached his prime yet being only 24 years old.

Dallas Mavericks

Jaden Hardy fell, a lot. Before last year he was ranked a top 3 talent for this class, but after a very inefficient season in the G-League, he dropped to pick 7, of the SECOND ROUND. Even though his last season was disappointing the 6’4 19 year old still is one of the best ball handlers in the draft and when his shots are falling nobody can guard him. 37 picks into this draft the Dallas Mavericks secured one of the best scorers in this class. Hardy will join a team where his only job is to put up points.

Losers

New York Knicks

What was the plan here? Well, we know the plan, but why? The Knicks REALLY want Jalen Brunson. They ended up giving up the 11th pick, four second-rounders, and Kemba Walker to get three future first-rounders and cap space. It’s likely none of those picks will be as high as the number 11 pick in this draft that they traded. The clearing of 18 million dollars should help secure their guy when free agency opens but there is still no guarantee Brunson will be a Knick so the next couple of weeks will determine if this was good or horrible. Either way, it seems the Knicks' tunnel vision skewed their judgment as the 11th overall pick seems too high a price to pay.

Sacramento Kings

Number 4 was a head-scratcher. Taking Jaden Ivey seemed like the obvious choice here despite him saying he didn’t want to play for Sacramento. Keegan Murry should be a good player and actually wants to be a part of the Kings, but if they weren’t going to take Ivey a trade back could’ve probably landed them their guy.