On Tuesday night, we saw Drake Powell selected by the Atlanta Hawks—as part of a trade that then sent him to the Brooklyn Nets—with the 22nd overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. It was maybe a tad bit higher than most mock drafts tended to project him to go, but it’s hardly a surprise that someone with his talents and tools ended up being drafted that early.
The 22nd pick is obviously not quite the top 10, in terms of chances teams are generally willing to give players taken there. However, what the 22nd pick has done in recent years is produce some very solid NBA role players, which is hardly a bad outcome, even if no player dreams of that as a kid.
With that in mind, let’s take a look back at some of the recent 22nd overall picks and see what players drafted in that spot have turned out to be. If you look through the past 15 drafts, the two best players to come out of the 22nd pick are probably Jarrett Allen and Bobby Portis.
Allen was the 22nd selection back in 2017, by Powell’s new Nets team. However, his greatest success has come since he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part a multi-team deal that sent James Harden to Brooklyn back in 2021. Since then, he’s become a key cog of the Cavs’ team that become among the Eastern Conference’s best, and was named an All-Star in 2022. He also has several top 10 finishes in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
As for Portis, he has been one of the big bench players for the Milwaukee Bucks, as they won the 2021 NBA Finals and have made several other deep playoff runs. He also has two third place finishes in the Sixth Man of the Year race, having nearly taken home the honor in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Another notable pick from the #22 spot, for whom it’s still too early to declare just how good they are or will be, also has a UNC connection. None other than Walker Kessler went there in the 2022 NBA Draft, officially out of Auburn, and I think we all know the story about that. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting to start his career, and was a double digit scorer this last season for the Jazz.
If we dig deep into history, the best-ever #22 pick is probably Reggie Lewis. The Celtic was arguably on his way to stardom before his tragic death from a heart condition.
Other 22nd picks that have had at least solid NBA careers include Grant Williams (2019), Kenneth Faried (2011), Jared Dudley (2007), Jarrett Jack (2005), Chris Mills (1993), and Scott Skiles (1986).
Obviously, the number of your pick isn’t what will decide how good a player you are; you have to be good to make it in the NBA. There are plenty of misses drafted 22nd overall as well, and the same would be the case for #21, #23, or any other spot. However, history shows that you can turn into a more than capable pro player if you’re drafted 22nd.