The 2022 NBA Draft Lottery commenced before the start of Game One between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, and the results were similar to what was expected before the draft. The Orlando Magic, who were tied for the best odds to win, landed the #1 pick in the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft. Following them is:
#2 pick: Oklahoma City Thunder
#3 pick: Houston Rockets
#4 pick: Sacramento Kings
#5 pick: Detroit Pistons
#6 pick: Indiana Pacers
#7 pick: Portland Trail Blazers
#8 pick: New Orleans Pelicans (via Lakers and the Anthony Davis trade)
#9 pick: San Antonio Spurs
#10 pick: Washington Wizards
#11 pick: New York Knicks
#12 pick: Oklahoma City Thunder (via Clippers and Paul George trade)
#13 pick: Charlotte Hornets
#14 pick: Cleveland Cavaliers
The clear winners of this lottery are the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento Kings, and New Orleans Pelicans. The Magic and Thunder have the first two picks in this draft, which means they’ll have their choice of the top three picks in the upcoming draft: Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, and Paolo Banchero. The Kings leapt up into the top four, and were the only team in the top four that didn’t have the best odds to be there. The Pelicans are also winners, because of the pick they got from the Lakers. The Anthony Davis trade worked out in the short term for the Lakers, but could work out much better in the long term for the Pelicans. If they draft well, they could get an All-Star-caliber player to go along with their core of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum.
It’ll be interesting to see how this draft plays out. The draft will be on June 23rd, 2022, so make sure to tune in for that. I’ll be coming out with a lottery mock draft sooner or later, so make sure to follow the NBA Blog so you don’t miss it. And as always, have an awesome day!
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