The 2022 NBA Draft was much anticipated this year due to the fact that there wasn’t a set in stone number 1 pick. Many thought Chet Holmgren was the easy pick at 1 but the Magic decided to go with Paolo Banchero and Holmgren went next to the Thunder to form the slim towers with Andrej Pokusevski. Overall in this draft we had many clear winners and some teams that made some questionable picks.
Winners:
The clear winner of the draft to me were the Detroit Pistons. They drafted my number 1 prospect, Jaden Ivey with the 5th pick. To me, this was a steal at number 5 and it will allow the Pistons to have one of the most lethal backcourts in the future with Cade Cunningham and now Ivey. Ivey has a lot of Ja Morant traits which makes his ceiling very high, and having quality talent like Cunningham and Saddiq Bey around him will allow him to progress better. The Pistons also added Jalen Duren via trade and is a very versatile big who has a lot of potential.
The Houston Rockets in my opinion grabbed one of the more NBA ready prospects at pick 3 and that is Jabari Smith. Smith is a very good shooter and he plays good defense and seems like he’s going to contribute right from the start. The Rockets have very solid young guards with Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. so being able to grab a good forward in Smith will help this team very much.
Orlando Magic are my third and final winner of the draft. While Banchero wasn’t my favorite prospect, I believe Banchero has a high ceiling and he can mesh well with Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, and Fraz Wagner.
New York Knicks, While they didn’t add anyone to their team in the first round, they were able to shed off Kemba Walker’s contract which will allow them to grab a player like Jalen Brunson or a potential superstar that opts out of their contract.
My last winner of the draft is the Milwaukee Bucks. Their first round pick MarJon Beauchamp seems like the perfect player for their system. I didn’t hear about him till he was drafted, but after watching his highlights, it seems he will have a high ceiling and being able to learn from a guy like Giannis will only propel him. Also, the kid has a very good story and he will be a guy I will always cheer for.
Loser:
My only loser of the draft is the Sacramento Kings. While they picked a very good prospect in Keegan Murray, I believe passing up on Jaden Ivey or even Shaedon Sharpe will haunt them for years to come. Murray is going to be just fine, but they need elite potential type players and that’s what Ivey and Sharpe could bring. Overall, the Kings haven’t hit on a draft pick since Fox and they need to take risks and on guys with high ceilings in my opinion.
Overall, I can’t wait to see what this draft class does this upcoming season and in the future there is a lot to be excited as many teams such as the Magic, Thunder, Rockets, and Pistons are building fun teams to watch.
-Stephanos Mavroides