CHICAGO – The Orlando Magic earned the right to select No. 1 overall in the 2022 NBA draft on June 23.
The Magic had the best odds (14%) to land the top pick in the NBA draft lottery held Tuesday evening. Orlando had two lottery picks last year (Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner).
The Oklahoma City Thunder will select No. 2, followed by the Houston Rockets at No. 3 and the Sacramento Kings at No. 4. The remainder of the teams in the lottery are slotted Nos. 5-14 based on their records in the 2021-22 season.
The Kings moved up into the top four. Sacramento had a 32% at a top-four selection.
The Detroit Pistons dropped below top four despite having 52.1% odds to land one of the coveted picks and a 14% chance at the top pick. The Pistons had the top overall selection last year and took Cade Cunningham.
Complete 2022 NBA draft first-round order
1. Orlando
2 Oklahoma City
3. Houston
4. Sacramento
5. Detroit
6. Indiana
7 Portland
8. New Orleans
9 San Antonio
10. Washington
11. New York Knicks
12 Oklahoma City
13. Charlotte
14. Cleveland
15. New Orleans (to Charlotte)
16. Atlanta
17. Brooklyn (to Houston)
18.Chicago
19. Minnesota
20. Toronto (to San Antonio)
21. Denver
22. Utah (to Memphis)
23. Philadelphia
24. Milwaukee
25. Boston (to San Antonio)
26. Dallas
27.Miami
28. Golden State
29.Memphis
30. Phoenix (to Oklahoma City)
Who are the top 2022 NBA draft prospects?
Four players have consistently been at the top of draft boards this season. Here’s a look at each (in alphabetical order).
Paolo Banchero
position: forward
Height/weight: 6-10, 250 pounds
Freshman season at Duke: 17.2ppg, 7.8rpg, 3.2apg
Banchero was the driving force for Duke’s Final Four run, knocking down shots, throwing lobs and no-look passes in transition and defending the perimeter well. He’s one of the best at creating separation in his shot and blends his passing and shot selection nicely.
Chet Holmgren
position: Center
Height/weight: 7-0, 196 pounds
Freshman season at Gonzaga: 14.1ppg, 9.9rpg, 3.7bpg
Holmgren’s frame might be jarring for outside observers, but scouts praise his play. “His intangibles are off the chart,” an NBA scout told Sportzshala Sports last month. “He’s so unique physically with all the other skills and abilities, and if you’re willing to take that home run swing, he’s totally worth it.”
Jaden Ivey
position: Guard
Height/weight: 6-4, 195 pounds
Sophomore season at Purdue: 17.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.1 apg
Ivey led Purdue to a Sweet 16 appearance in the men’s NCAA tournament. NBA scouts have been impressed with his consistent outside shooting and the way he gets downhill with ease.
Jabari Smith
position: forward
Height/weight: 6-10, 220 pounds
Freshman season at Auburn: 16.9ppg, 7.4rpg
Smith was the best shooting power forward in college basketball, who loved stepping into his jump shot and letting it fly in transition or off the pick-and-pop. He has solid footwork in the post and uses his right pivot foot in a turnaround fadeaway jump shot from the corner.
Source: sports.yahoo.com