By: Tres T
Looking On To The ’22 NBA Draft
As the NBA season just wrapped up, it looks like we won’t be having basketball in our lives for a while, but, what we do have is the NBA Draft. This Thursday night, at 8 p.m. Let’s preview it.
Here are the first round picks by each franchise selected for this year’s draft.
8. New Orleans Pelicans (via Lakers)
The top-ten picks are followed by New York Knicks (11), Oklahoma City Thunder (12), Charlotte Hornets (13), Cleveland Cavaliers (14), Charlotte Hornets (15), Atlanta Hawks (16), Houston Rockets (17), Chicago Bulls (18), Minnesota Timberwolves (19), San Antonio Spurs (20), Denver Nuggets (21), Memphis Grizzlies (22), Brooklyn Nets (23), Milwaukee Bucks (24), San Antonio Spurs (25), Dallas Mavericks (26), Miami Heat (27), Golden State Warriors (28), Memphis Grizzlies (29), and the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 30th pick.
Most mock drafts you find online all have different rotations of the top picks going between Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, Jaden Ivey, Jabari Smith and Shaedon Sharpe. For some reason I’m just not as high on Chet as many seem to be. Now, if he bulked up over the first few years of his career then his path could be a different story, but right now, I really believe he’ll get bullied by the big men who have been banging in the post for the last decade. You’re telling me DeMarcus Cousins or Giannis Antetokounmpo aren’t going to throw all 194 pounds of him around the paint? Considered me fooled if that isn’t the case. I just think his adjustment from college to the pro’s is going to be much harder for him than many are spectating. But, I’m not a NBA scout, so, what do I know?
I believe the safest pick in this draft (of the names listed above) would come between Jabari Smith or Paolo Banchero. I just feel that those two are the most certain of locks as true elite ball players that you already know what you’ll get from them rather than drafting a player based off what their potential could be. They’re both freak athletes that can score the ball and immediately impact a roster. I think they’ll both go in the top four.
I’m excited to see this year’s draft because the night is always so special. In an instant you see dozens of lives get changed forever. Generational wealth earned by years of hard work is nice to see, and it gets me excited to start planning out scenarios in my head on how the direction of the organizations will go next season. I hope your team gets who you want them to get, because the draft is huge in terms of rebuilding.
The draft is near 48 hours away and I’m already anxious for it. Thursday night can’t get here fast enough. “And with the first pick…”
