NBA Draft Results: Winners, Losers, and Surprises

2022 NBA Draft

After a four-month wait that seemed to last forever, we have our answers. We’ve finally got a look at how all 30 NBA teams will stack up over next year as they head into free agency and prepare for draft night.

The results? Well...they could’ve been better (for everyone). But at least no one won tonight! It was an odd year in that regard. 2022 NBA Draft latest news

Phoenix Suns

The Suns got their man. They took Duke center Deandre Ayton with the No. 1 overall pick Thursday night after weeks of speculation they would take Slovenian guard Luka Doncic instead.

It was a move many saw coming from Phoenix’s front office—especially after reports came out that Doncic had turned down a $6 million endorsement deal with Nike in order to play for Phoenix.

But don’t count Doncic out just yet—the 19-year-old has a real shot at starting for his new team in his rookie season, despite being two years younger than other top picks Ayton and Marvin Bagley III.

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings gave a one-in-four chance on landing Duke star Zion Williamson at No. 2 overall to land in an unlikely position as one of Tuesday’s biggest winners.

After using two first-round picks to acquire Harrison Barnes in February (from Dallas) and Marvin Bagley III last year (from Phoenix), Sacramento landed Jaren Jackson Jr., who many consider to be a three-and-D stud waiting to happen.

Jackson hit just 33 percent of his deep shots last season but shot 39 percent from 3 overall. With his 7'4 wingspan, teams are already drooling at his defensive potential; Jackson averaged 2.5 blocks per game during his lone season at Michigan State while playing shooting guard alongside Miles Bridges.

Atlanta Hawks

Three. That’s how many wins they earned in the 2016-17 season. The team is going through a lot of changes right now—Mike Budenholzer is no longer their head coach, Dennis Schroder has requested a trade—but it’s still baffling that Atlanta took Duke small forward Kevin Knox with its first-round pick (at No. 9).

Knox was far from being an elite prospect; he only averaged 11 points per game for his one year at Duke (on 36 percent shooting) before declaring for last year’s draft, which raises major questions about his decision to declare early.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizz fell short of expectations in year one under new coach David Fizdale. Despite playing in a brutal Western Conference last season, Memphis managed to win just 42 games after reaching 50-plus wins during four straight seasons prior to 2016-17.

But with their first pick in tonight’s draft—at No. 4 overall—they addressed their biggest need by drafting Dillon Brooks from Oregon University. Brooks will immediately step into their rotation at small forward and should bring toughness and three-point shooting skills to a team that finished 25th in three-point percentage (32 percent) last season. With two more picks later on in tonight’s proceedings, look for Memphis to target athletic role players like Kyle Kuzma or Jordan Bell with later selections if they are still available.

Dallas Mavericks

Luka Doncic was expected to be picked first in tonight’s draft. Dallas made him wait until pick number three. But it was worth it; Doncic has all of that Dirk Nowitzki potential with a more polished game.

He looks like a great fit for what Dallas is doing under head coach Rick Carlisle and alongside Dennis Smith Jr., another guard who was widely considered a future star coming out of college before being drafted ninth overall last year. The Mavericks also picked up Euroleague champion Kyle Kuzma at No 10, a versatile 6-foot-9 forward whose stock rose during last season’s playoffs.

Orlando Magic

The Magic landed one of their top targets in Jonathan Isaac with their first pick. He's a versatile forward who can handle and shoot from 3-point range. They followed that up by taking point guard Dennis Smith Jr., who should give them a spark off the bench next season.

The selection of Wesley Iwundu in Round 2 was a surprise, though he has good size at 6'7 for a wing player. Grade: B+ (First round), A- (Second round)

Charlotte Hornets

2017 NBA Draft Results The Charlotte Hornets entered Thursday night's draft with a decision to make: Which of their many needs would they address first? As usual, that answer came down to best player available.

After taking Frank Kaminsky with ninth pick in 2015 and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist two years prior (and Cody Zeller in 2013), Charlotte selected Malik Monk out of Kentucky at No. 11. Despite posting outrageous shooting numbers as a freshman -- including a 50-point game against eventual national champion North Carolina -- Monk was not taken seriously by many pre-draft analysts...

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons needed help in a lot of places. They were looking for a power forward that could play both ends of the floor. Stan Van Gundy has been trying to mold Andre Drummond into that role but hasn’t had much success so far.

Enter Henry Ellenson, who they drafted at No. 18 overall. Ellenson is a big man that can block shots and score from all over the floor at an elite level; he was projected as high as No. 4 by many mock drafts (based on his play during his lone year at Marquette).

Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets had two picks in Thursday night’s NBA draft. They selected guard Caris LeVert from Michigan with their first pick (20th overall), then traded for power forward Chris McCullough from Syracuse. While neither are projected to be All-Stars, both will help improve a roster that won just 38 games last season.

LeVert can do it all; he averaged 18 points and seven rebounds per game in his senior year at Michigan. He’s been compared to Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls for his ability to play multiple positions on offense and defense—and was named Big Ten Player of The Year after leading Michigan to a conference championship and appearance in March Madness.

nba draft time

Obviously Deandre Ayton is likely to be one of those winners. We can argue about whether or not he’s a truly transcendent prospect for another time. What we can’t argue about is how important it was for Phoenix to draft him at No. 1; had they failed to do so, Sacramento would have grabbed him at No. 2 and given Mike Malone a franchise player that he could build around right away (at least in theory).

Instead, at least in theory, they got their franchise center by dealing Bogdan Bogdanovic and picks Nos. 16 and 27 along with future first-round considerations to Philadelphia for Mikal Bridges before using pick No.

New York Knicks

The Knicks received an enormous boost to their frontcourt by nabbing Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth overall pick. At 7’3, Porzingis is one of just two players in last year’s draft taller than 7 feet who could shoot from outside—and he shot 42 percent from three-point range overseas.

They added another interesting piece in forward Jerian Grant at 19th overall. Grant was a shooting guard at Notre Dame but can play point guard in the NBA due to his incredible passing ability. He has great size for that position (6’5), too, so he can slide over if necessary.

conclusion

Here’s a look at some of our winners and losers from Thursday night’s NBA draft. The real winners are on their way to rookie minicamp or working out for teams in preparation for Summer League play. They don’t have time to sit around and be proud—they need to get back to work if they want to make it big in The Association.

Still, now is a good time for these players (and their families) to sit back and think about what just happened—the hard work is over. It’s time for these young stars to pursue their dream. Now that we have all of that out of the way, here are some initial thoughts on how Thursday's draft turned out...