There aren’t usually many surprises in the NBA draft in this day and age, but Thursday night started with big surprises as the Orlando Magic picked Duke forward Paulo Banchero with the No. 1 overall pick. For weeks, the expectation was that they would knock out Jabari Smith of Auburn, and it still is. It’s unclear if it was all an elaborate smoke curtain or they just changed their minds at the last minute.
The Magic is said to have never hosted Banchero for a formal training or interview in Orlando, which suggests it might be his last.
Anyway, the Oklahoma City Thunder knocked out big man Chet Holmgren from Gonzaga as expected, while the Houston Rockets went with Smith to take out the top three. It’s possible The Rockets are planning a Panchero, but Smith should still fit in well as a sharp forward forward to pair with Galen Green.
Of course, no draft could be complete without the Sacramento Kings doing something outside the box, and they took Keegan Murray fourth despite almost all speculation that Purdue’s Jaden Ivey was clearly the fourth best player. Maybe they really believed in Murray, or maybe they were wary of taking a guard with their first pick for the third year in a row.
It’s a busy night around the NBA, and we’ve got you covered here. Here’s how to watch the Thursday night NBA draft.
Follow the selections below for updates, deals, and analysis for the 2022 NBA Draft.
Draft Tracker | degrees of selection | Trade Tracker | Complete NBA Draft coverage
2022 NBA Draft Order
| round 1 | Selection | Round 2 | Selection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Magic | 31. Pacers | ||
| 2. Thunder | 32. Magic | ||
| 3. Missiles | 33. Birds of Prey | ||
| 4. Kings | 34. Thunder | ||
| 5. pistons | 35. Lakers* | ||
| 6. Pacers | 36. Trail Blazers | ||
| 7. Trail Blazers | 37. Kings | ||
| 8. Swans | 38. Tottenham | ||
| 9. Tottenham | 39. Cavaliers | ||
| 10. Wizards | 40. Timberwolves | ||
| 11. Knicks* | Osman Deng | SF | France | 41. Pelican | |
| 12. Thunder | Galen Williams | SG | Santa Clara | 42. Knicks | |
| 13. Hornets* | Galen Doreen | c | Memphis | 43. Clippers | |
| 14. Cavaliers | Ochai Egbegi | SG | kansas | 44. Hawks | |
| 15. Hornets | Mark Williams | c | duke | 45. Hornets | |
| 16. Hawks | AG Griffin | SF | duke | 46. pistons | |
| 17. Missiles | Tari Eason | PF | LSU | 47 – Grizzlies | |
| 18. Bulls | Dalene Terry | SF | Arizona | 48. Timberwolves | |
| 19. Timberwolf * | Jake Lavia | PF | Wake Forest | 49- Cavaliers* | |
| 20. Tottenham | Regal Branham | SF | Ohio Street | 50. Timberwolves | |
| 21. Nuggets | Christian Brown | SG | kansas | 51. Warriors | |
| 22 – Grizzlies* | Walker Kessler | c | Auburn | 52. Swans | |
| 23. 76ers* | David Rudy | SG | Colo. St. | 53. Celtics | |
| 24. Dollars | Margon Beauchamp | SF | G League Ignite | 54. Wizards | |
| 25. Tottenham | Blake Wesley | SG | Notre Dame | 55. Warriors | |
| 26. Missiles | 56. Cavaliers | ||
| 27. Heat | 57. Trail Blazers | ||
| 28. Warriors | 58. Pacers | ||
| 29 – Grizzlies * | |||
| 30. Nuggets |
* – mentioned trade
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