The fire caused by Duke forward Paolo Banchero – not Auburn forward Jabari Smith or even Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren – overnight becoming betting favorite to be the No. 1 pick?
It has been put out.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
As team boards finalize today, the 1-2-3 of the NBA Draft is increasingly firm, per sources: Jabari Smith to Orlando, Chet Holmgren to Oklahoma City and Paolo Banchero to Houston.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 23, 2022
The Magic, Thunder and Rockets drafting Smith, Holmgren and Smith in that order had become increasingly assumed over the last few weeks. Now that Wojnarowski has reinstated and reinforced that expectation, the drama starts with the Kings at No. 4.
For what it’s worth, that’s the order I’d draft the top three players, too.
