Orlando Magic selects Duke’s Paolo Banchero with No. 1 overall pick in 2022 NBA draft
Paolo Banchero learned his NBA home, and added to Duke’s basketball lore, Thursday night when the Orlando Magic selected the Blue Devils freshman with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
Banchero is Duke’s second No. 1 overall pick in the last four NBA drafts and the marks the third time in the last 12 drafts a Blue Devils player went No. 1. The others were Zion Williamson in 2019 by New Orleans and Kyrie Irving in 2011 by Cleveland.
“This isn’t even a dream,” Banchero said. “I feel like this is a fantasy. I dreamed of being in the NBA, but being the No. 1 overall pick, this is crazy.”
Duke has produced five No. 1 overall picks in NBA draft history, with Art Heyman (1963, New York Knicks) and Elton Brand (1999, Chicago) preceding Irving, Williamson and Banchero.
The five No. 1s from Duke are the most by any school. Kentucky is second with three.
Entering the draft, Banchero, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren and Auburn’s Jabari Smith were considered locks for the top three picks. But the order of the picks remained a mystery and the subject of much debate.
In the end, Banchero won out over his fellow freshmen as Holmgren went No. 2 to Oklahoma City and Houston selected Smith at No. 3.
“Definitely added a chip,” Smith said, after Houston picked him. “But God makes no mistakes, so I’m happy to be here. I’m happy to be where I’m wanted. I’m happy to get to Houston and just show them, give them what they picked. Just happy to be here.”
Banchero’s selection gives Duke six players selected among the top two picks over that same 12-year period beginning with 2011. Jabari Parker (2014, Milwaukee), Brandon Ingram (2016, Los Angeles Lakers) and Marvin Bagley (2018, Sacramento) were No. 2 overall picks following their lone seasons with the Blue Devils.
The selection ends a Duke draft lottery drought that’s modest by national standards but significant in recent Blue Devils history. Prior to Banchero, no Duke players had been selected in the draft’s lottery (first 14 picks) since Williamson (No. 1) and RJ Barrett (No. 3) in 2019.
That’s notable because from 2011 through 2019, Duke produced at least one lottery pick in every draft except 2013. That included a lottery pick in six consecutive drafts from 2014-19.
Banchero averaged 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds, leading the Blue Devils in both categories last season when they won the ACC regular-season championship and reached the program’s first Final Four since 2015. Hitting 47.2% of his shots and adding 3.2 assists per game, he was named first-team, all-ACC and a consensus second-team, all-American playing on Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final team prior to his retirement after 42 seasons as Duke’s coach.
“Coach K, especially on and off the court, he’s a great, great advice giver, great leader and he’s the greatest of all time,” Banchero said. “Every day he was really giving us new gems, new pieces of advice that we could take on forever. So I thank him. I thank Duke. I’m always going to be a part of the brotherhood and the Duke basketball family.”
Orlando’s selection of Banchero means Duke has produced at least one first-round pick in 11 of the past 12 drafts — with 2020 being the lone exception.
Three more Blue Devils were picked later in Thursday night’s first round as Mark Williams went No. 15 overall to the Charlotte Hornets, Atlanta picked A.J. Griffin at No. 16 and Wendell Moore went to Dallas at No. 26.
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This story was originally published June 23, 2022 at 8:14 PM.