It may say something about the 2022 draft class itself that the No. 1 selection has never widely been treated as a foregone conclusion. Over the course of the past year, four players have built legitimate cases and inspired debate and dissent in front offices around the NBA: Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero and Jaden Ivey.
While you can debate the merits of each prospect as a No. 1 pick contender in past draft classes, as the saying goes, teams can draft only what’s there. And at the end of the day, the fact there are four good options indicates palpable depth at the top of the draft. It wouldn’t be surprising whether any one of this quartet winds up having the best career in the class. The discourse has been healthy. But tomorrow night, someone is getting picked first. It should be Smith.
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