'Increasingly firm' draft order of Smith, Holmgren, Banchero

Will Jabari Smith be taken with the No. 1 pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2022 NBA Draft? John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Report: 'Increasingly firm' 1-2-3 NBA Draft order of Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, Paulo Banchero

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 6/23/22

There's no guarantee what will happen with the top selections in this year's NBA Draft once they hear their names called and put on their new team's hats Thursday night, but according to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the order of the top three is now a near foregone conclusion.

As team boards finalize today, the 1-2-3 of the NBA Draft is increasingly firm, per sources: Jabari Smith to Orlando, Chet Holmgren to Oklahoma City and Paolo Banchero to Houston.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 23, 2022

If Smith, Holmgren and Banchero end up being taken first, second and third, respectively, it would represent somewhat of an oddity, and something that hasn't happened in five years.

Freshmen Jabari Smith Jr., Chet Holmgren & Paolo Banchero are projected within the top-3 picks.

Freshmen have gone 1-2-3 just six times in the common draft era, with the last time coming in 2017 (Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball & Jayson Tatum.) pic.twitter.com/5pIPd1UMIn
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 23, 2022

During his one season at Auburn, Smith averaged 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks per game across 34 contests while helping the Tigers advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The 19-year-old was named First Team All-SEC, a Second Team consensus All-American and the SEC Rookie of the Year for the 2021-2022 campaign.

Holmgren combined with upperclassman Drew Timme in the frontcourt, and others, to guide Gonzaga to the Elite Eight and finished his lone college season averaging 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.7 blocks and 1.9 assists per contest over 32 games. The 20-year-old was named First Team All-WCC, a Second Team consensus All-American, the WCC Defensive Player of the Year and the WCC Rookie of the Year.

Banchero helped lead Duke to the Final Four during Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski's final season at the helm, posting 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 39 contests during his only college campaign. The 19-year-old forward was named First Team All-ACC, a Second Team consensus All-American and the ACC Rookie of the Year.

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