NEW YORK ( Associated Press) — The Orlando Magic picked Duke forward Paolo Banchero as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft Thursday night.
After coach Mike Krzyzewski led the Blue Devils to the Final Four in his final season, the 6-foot-10 forward was first called to start the draft by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, along with fellow first-year teammate Jabari Smith Jr. and defeated Chet Holmgren. ,
Dressed in a purple suit filled with bling, Banchero applauded inside the Barclays Center, where Duke lost in the final of the ACC tournament.
The Magic were picking the first for the fourth time and they have done well with their previous picks. He took on Shaquille O’Neill in 1992, traded the rights to Chris Webber to Penny Hardaway the following year, and moved in with Dwight Howard in 2004.
All eventually reached the NBA Finals with the Magic.
Holmgren finished second behind the Oklahoma City Thunder in Gonzaga leading the West Coast Conference in blocked shots, rebounding and shooting percentages. He looked sharp in his black suit, but ultimately success in the NBA may require a bigger size, as he’s listed at just 195 pounds.
The Houston Rockets took Smith in third place, happy to end up with a player who many thought would go first. The 6-10 ahead of Auburn is a natural fit in the current NBA game, being able to defend all three frontcourt positions and allowing him to hit 42% of the back of the arc with one shooting stroke.
Forward Keegan Murray, after a huge jump in his second season at Iowa, was jumped all the way by the Sacramento Kings to take No. A year after taking on Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 pick, the Detroit Pistons replaced athletic Purdue guard Jaden Ivey in fifth.
Before the selection began, Silver congratulated the Golden State Warriors on their most recent NBA championship and reminded fans that his natives Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Drummond Green were all made through the draft.
All the teams at the top of this draft need help and they already have high recent selections on their roster, so hopefully the Warriors method works for them as well.
Canada’s Benedict Mathurin, who played in Arizona, went to Indiana with No. 6. The Portland Trail Blazers followed with Kentucky’s Shadon Sharp, G League Ignite’s Dyson Daniels was ranked eighth by New Orleans, Baylor’s Jeremy Sochan followed with San Antonio at number 9 in Texas, and Washington finished with Johnny Davis of Wisconsin. With a goal in the top 10.
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