The 2022 NBA Draft is in the books, and all teams that participated will now move forward with at least something to show for it. Some franchises performed better than others, although it's very early and plenty will happen between now and the end of the next season or two (or three, or four) that will determine the true winners and losers of this year's haul. Draft class evaluations can only be given rather prematurely at this juncture.
With that said, we're going to do exactly that. Several teams stood out to me in various ways on Thursday night — for both good and bad reasons — and I'll be sharing my thoughts on them below. Dashing teams did a fantastic job this year; passing teams did well but left me with a question or two; crashing teams either didn't do anything when they should have or they underwhelmed enough for me to drag them into this. Without further ado, let's jump in.
Dashing: Detroit Pistons come to Cade Cunningham's rescue
If you watched Cade Cunningham's rookie campaign, you probably came away multiple times feeling a bit scared of what the Pistons would do (or not do) to build around their budding young star. Troy Weaver put plenty of those concerns to rest in the draft. Jaden Ivey is a near-perfect running mate for Cunningham, and acquiring Jalen Duren via trade is massive. Not only does Cunningham now have someone to take the pressure off him as a playmaker and shooter, but he has a new lob threat who's über-athletic and could blossom into something special in due time. Gabriele Procida shouldn't be slept on, either — a certain someone had a near-first round grade on him. This was a home run of a night for Detroit.
Dashing: Houston Rockets get a king's ransom
The Rockets came into draft day with virtually everyone expecting them to select Paolo Banchero. That didn't end up being the case, nor did a Chet Holmgren slide beyond pick No. 2, but the Rockets did the best they could with the third overall pick. Jabari Smith Jr. will be an excellent defender from the jump and boasts a floor as a bona-fide elite shooter at the highest level. His ceiling shouldn't be discounted, though, which is what made this pick a no-brainer. The pickup of Tari Eason at 17 secures a high-end defender with offensive upside, and snagging TyTy Washington at 29 is like highway robbery. The Rockets got help that will thrive now and later, and that makes their class one of the best.
Dashing: Dallas Mavericks land Jaden Hardy
Let's get this out of the way: Not only should Jaden Hardy have been a first-round pick, but he should've been a top-20 one at the minimum. I get that he struggled out of the gate with the G-League Ignite and his efficiency numbers were quite poor, but he improved down the stretch and was one of the most talked-about high schoolers in the country just a couple of brief years ago. Hardy has the upside to be a terrific scorer in the NBA, and those types of players typically don't fall to 37th in the draft. Hardy did, and the Mavericks swooped in to get him*. For a team that needed some sort of young, bucket-getting talent injected into the roster, Dallas did a bang-up job here.
*The Los Angeles Lakers should have used their newly-acquired 35th pick to get Hardy, who's a Klutch Sports Group client. They were close to being put in the "crashing" section for their negligence but will be reprimanded here instead.**
** In more positive news, props to the New Orleans Pelicans for the work they did on Thursday. I'm a fan of their draft, I just don't want this article to run on forever.
Passing: San Antonio Spurs get Jeremy Sochan, create a logjam
Regardless of where you had Jeremy Sochan on your draft board, it's nearly impossible to deny just how productive he can be on the defensive side of the ball. That alone made him a suitable fit for the Spurs. His ability to serve as a secondary or tertiary ball-handler, though, might play better there than most other places. Sochan at 9 is a bit too rich for me, but I get the logic. The opposite applies to San Antonio's other two first-round picks: Malaki Branham at 20 and Blake Wesley at 25. I adore Branham and think he'll prove multiple teams wrong for passing on him and the appeal with Wesley is very legitimate, but there are so freaking many guards on that team now. I get the result(s) here, but the processes were shaky. Perhaps a trade is in store, which would make sense, but consider me VERY intrigued by what the Spurs have going on. They pass.
Passing: Oklahoma City Thunder take some calculated risks
Anyone who has followed Crashing Hoops knows I love what Chet Holmgren brings to the table. A+ pick. The Jalen Williams selection at 12 shocked many (including myself) but considering his frame and profile, it isn't that much of a reach for what should be a good player. Ousmane Dieng at 11, like Sochan in SA, is too rich for my liking. He's a total Thunder selection, however, as his upside is certainly interesting. Pouncing on Jaylin Williams' defense and overall potential is also a nice way to cap things off. I could probably be talked into giving this draft a "dashing" grade, but there's just a lot of projection involved with Dieng and the Williams gang.
Passing: Golden State Warriors bank on buckets
The rich, somehow, may have gotten a tad bit richer during this year's draft. The Warriors are betting on Patrick Baldwin Jr. to get back to his pre-injury form and put his nightmare of a freshman season behind him, but he landed in an ideal situation to make that attempt. He has the potential to become a fun scoring option in some capacity. Speaking of which, Ryan Rollins is a tough bucket-getter who is a reliable three-point shot away from being a blast as a backup guard. I didn't anticipate writing about Golden State after the draft, but that just goes to show how even the best teams in the NBA can find ways to surprise you.
Crashing: Brooklyn Nets & Utah Jazz stand pat
Look, I get that neither the Nets nor Jazz were expected to be players in this year's draft. With that said, could they have at least tried? Brooklyn badly needed defensive depth heading in, and Utah needed someone who could assist Danny Ainge and company in facilitating a franchise-altering rebuild. Those are lofty goals to live up to, sure, but having a nice rookie in the fold would've helped either team. The second round featured plenty of them, yet the Nets and Jazz punted on moving into the back half of the draft. That's a business decision on behalf of both franchises, but hopefully not a decision that they will regret down the road.
Crashing: New York Knicks kind of stand pat (?)
I think I have somewhat of a grasp on what the heck the Knicks were doing on Thursday. They traded pick No. 11, gave up four second-round picks and got out of Kemba Walker's contract in exchange for three future first-round picks that are less impressive than they should be. In the process, they got some financial wiggle-room that could help them land someone like Jalen Brunson in the near future. I totally get the logic behind all of this but... boy, was that experience a trip for the mind. New York doesn't get an F as a grade or anything but when Leon Rose essentially issues an apology statement for the team to tweet out, you sure aren't getting anything much better than that. Until future moves actually go through, I'm stumped.
Comments