NBA Draft 2022: Chet Holmgreen, Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero headline 1st wave of Green Room Invites

The NBA sent invites for the Green Room to the top prospects of the 2022 Draft. The Draft Green Room consists of a small group of players invited to attend the NBA Draft in person. Reportedly, there will be 15 players who will attend the 2022 NBA Draft in the Green Room, with some of the names revealed. The Green Room can often give an idea of which players are rated highly by teams. Invites have been sent to the following players so far: Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, Jaden Ivey, Keegan Murray, Shaedon Sharpe and AJ Griffin.

This year’s NBA Draft will see the Orlando Magic pick at number one. However, unlike most Drafts, there isn’t a clear-cut number of prospects. Most see Chet Holmgreen, Jabari Smith, and Paolo Banchero as players who could all go as the number one overall pick. Chet Holmgreen is an elite rim protector and averaged 3.7 blocks in 26.9 minutes per game at Gonzaga.

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The big man could be a cornerstone for the Magic alongside young playmakers Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, and Franz Wagner. Holmgren was also a consensus All-American in his one college season and figures to be a double-double threat from when he steps onto an NBA court.

Jabari Smith was also a consensus All-American in his one college season while averaging 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. The ability to defend multiple positions stands out, and he can pose a matchup nightmare on the other end with his athleticism and outside shooting.

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As with the other two, Banchero was also a consensus All-American freshman and averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game while leading the Duke Blue Devils to the Final Four. He fits into the positionless basketball approach that many teams operate in the NBA and has no shortage of offensive upside.