NBA Draft 2022: Biggest overall takeaways from draft night

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 23: NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Paolo Banchero pose for photos after Banchero was drafted with the 1st overall pick by the Orlando Magic during the 2022 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2022 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

4 of 5

NBA Draft Caleb Houstan Michigan Wolverines (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) /

A record amount of freshmen picked

There were 26 “one and dones” taken within the 58 picks of the NBA Draft, beating out the previous record of 24. This is worthwhile considering a handful of freshmen had down years from a statistical standpoint. UCLA’s Peyton Watson played 12 minutes a game, averaged 3.3 points on bad shooting splits, and the Nuggets still spent comfortably investing in him long-term at No. 30. Michigan’s Caleb Houstan had a down-year for what was projected of him, but should still be getting a guaranteed deal after being picked No. 32 by Orlando.

The debate of “production vs. pedigree” has always been a fascinating one when evaluating the NBA draft, and while some freshmen saw their draft position fall a bit more than initially expected (Trevor Keels, Kendall Brown, and JD Davison) they all still stayed in the draft after the pre-draft process and were picked.

This signals that the concept of pre-drafting (taking a player a year or two before he’s NBA-ready so he can develop within a team’s system) has become prevalent among NBA front offices. Neither Jaden Ivey nor Bennedict Mathurin were getting lottery buzz a year ago but had a team convinced them to stay in by giving them a guaranteed deal or selecting them in the 20’s, they’d look really smart this year. There’s a chance Ivey and Mathurin would have wanted to bet on themselves anyway and stay in school, but this year’s class seemed ready to make the jump to the NBA.

This also hurts the returning crop for next year’s college class significantly. Watson, Keels, Davison, John Butler, and Josh Minott all would have been interesting first-round possibilities for me in any early 2023 board, but they all elected to stay in the draft. I haven’t done enough work on the incoming freshman class to have a definitive opinion of where returners stand, but ESPN’s first 2023 mock draft had only two returners in the first round.

Players always rise out of nowhere and I highly doubt only two returning players end up in the first round, but next year’s returning class is definitely weaker to start. It’ll be fascinating to track the development of these second-round freshmen and see how their success impacts freshmen in future classes.

Home/NBA Draft News