Paolo Banchero overtakes Chet Holmgren as projected No. 1 overall pick in ESPN’s latest 2022 NBA Mock Draft

By JACOB POLACHECK

It’s been just one day since 7-foot-1 unicorn big man Chet Holmgren made the decision to commit to Gonzaga, and he has already been supplanted as the projected top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Class of 2021 Duke signee Paolo Banchero is now projected as the No. 1 overall pick in Jonathan Givony‘s latest ESPN mock draft released Tuesday.

Why did Paolo Banchero overtake Chet Holmgren for the No. 1 spot in our 2022 mock draft? Here's a little taste of how much his game has evolved in the past year. By the way, he's 6'11, 250 pounds now. Full mock draft and scouting report: https://t.co/X2qjaUYEQi pic.twitter.com/VwQpldrzTo

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 20, 2021

Banchero, a 6-foot-11, 250-pound power forward from O’Dea (WA) High School, is the highest-rated recruit in Duke’s No. 2 ranked recruiting class.

He is set to join forces with five-stars A.J. Griffin and Trevor Keels, four-star guard Jaylen Blakes and incoming transfers Theo John and Bates Jones.

Holmgren, who committed to Gonzaga on Tuesday, moved down one spot and is now projected to go No. 2 in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Gonzaga currently has the nation’s No. 3 ranked recruiting class, featuring Holmgren, five-star guard Hunter Sallis, four-star center Kaden Perry and four-star forward Fanbo Zeng.

The top-10 picks in ESPN’s latest 2022 NBA Mock Draft are listed below:

1. Paolo Banchero (Duke signee)
2. Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga commit)
3. Jaden Hardy (Undecided)
4. Yannick Nzosa (International – Unicaja)
5. Jabari Smith (Auburn signee)
6. Adrian Griffin (Duke signee)
7. Peyton Watson (UCLA signee)
8. Patrick Baldwin Jr. (Undecided)
9. Caleb Houstan (Michigan signee)
10. Kennedy Chandler (Tennessee signee)

Click here to watch Banchero’s Zoom Interview with ZAGSBLOG last August.

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