Chet Holmgren vs. Paolo Banchero: Who should be the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft?

Plus a look at two more draft prospects with a chance to go No. 1 in 2022

(Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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The No. 1 and No. 2 prospects on Big Board 1.0 — Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren and Duke’s Paolo Banchero — met head-to-head on Friday night in Vegas in front of a huge contingent of NBA scouts and executives.

The meeting was considered, potentially, the most important opportunity of the season for NBA teams to scout the top draft prospects. It’s rare to see the top two prospects play against each other, and even rarer to see them guard each other.

But while Holmgren and Banchero play the same position for their respective teams, they couldn’t be more different as draft prospects.

Duke and Banchero won the head-to-head matchup on Friday night, but from a scouting perspective, the result wasn’t clear-cut, especially with Holmgren missing much of the first half due to foul trouble and Banchero missing much of the second half with cramps.

Chad Ford @chadfordinsider

Chet Holmgren v Paolo Banchero FINAL Holmgren, 16 pts, 7 reb, 3 blk, 8-13 FG, 0-3 3P (limited mins in 1st half due to foul trouble) Banchero, 21 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 8-17 FG, 3-8 3P (limited mins in 2nd half due to cramping)

I spoke or texted with a number of NBA folks during and after the game. Here’s where both players and two other candidates stand in the race for the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

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(Note to readers: This is an excerpt of my Chet Holmgren vs. Paolo Banchero: Who should be the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft? column provided to free subscribers.

To get my my take on their chances of going No. 1, along with two other dark horse candidates for the No. 1 pick in 2022 … you need to be a paid subscriber.

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