The headline for ESPN’s first 2022 mock draft last summer posed the question: Will it be Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero or someone else at No. 1? Holmgren was projected to go first overall, with Banchero right behind him at No. 2. Jabari Smith was seventh, although he moved up to fourth after the college season started in early November.
In other words, things were pretty stable at the top of this draft class for a long time — and the top three of Holmgren, Banchero and Smith, in some order, have been set in stone since very early in the college season.
Everyone has their specific preferences, but the general vibe was that this was a draft with three No. 1-caliber players, and there wasn’t much separation. And in conversations with college coaches after the draft, that sentiment continued. Some thought Banchero was the correct No. 1 pick, some thought Smith should have stayed at No. 1 as anticipated and some thought Holmgren’s uniqueness and ceiling were too much to pass up at the top.
What coaches had to say on Banchero:
“He’s the most complete of those top three guys, especially on the offensive end. He’s not a great defender, he’s going to have to continue to evolve as an offensive player, so he doesn’t get caught positionally as an old-school power forward. I think he’s got more wing potential, kind of in a poor man’s Carmelo Anthony mold. He needs to find a way to play to that instead of playing to like, I don’t know, a Paul Millsap. I understand the pick because guys like him, with that skill level — although you can look at a guy like Jabari Parker, who was like that and picked second but was out of the league quickly — but on a team with more upside athlete players, he can be more of a polished skillful player and be able to come in and make a big impact and put points on the board.”
“I thought he was a No. 1-caliber pick since Peach Jam in 2019. The versatility, the ability to make plays with the ball at his size. Good passer, can play in the post, can play facing the basket. He’s such a mismatch problem, whether it’s guarding him with a bigger guy or smaller guy. He’s got more toughness than people give him credit for. I think he’s a really tough player.”
“It went in the exact order I’d rank it. Paolo 1, Chet 2, Jabari 3. Paolo can handle the ball, you could put him in middle pick-and-roll, he can be the screen-setter, he can see over the defense, he’s a phenomenal passer. Offensively, he can do a little bit of everything, gets to the free throw…
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