The NBA Draft Lottery is the post-season for the 14 teams that don’t get a chance to take part in the playoff festivities. The lottery means a day of keeping your nerves together, as your team can climb or fall down the drafting order. That can have a serious impact on a franchise, especially the ones that tank through the season for the best odds.
The 2022 Lottery saw plenty of movers as we finally know how things look for the teams that spent their season hoping that the lottery gives them what they need. The Orlando Magic will be drafting with the #1 pick, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, and Detroit Pistons.
The lottery odds gave the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, and Houston Rockets the best odds for the #1 pick (14%). However, the odds don’t always reflect the order the lottery balls will actually indicate. Prior to the lottery, only one partner from consulting firm Ernst and Young is aware of the actual order that which the envelopes have been set up in.
Find the full lottery results below:
1st pick: Orlando Magic
2nd pick: Oklahoma City Thunder
3rd pick: Houston Rockets
4th pick: Sacramento Kings
5th pick: Detroit Pistons
6th pick: Indiana Pacers
7th pick: Portland Trail Blazers
8th pick: New Orleans Pelicans (via LA Lakers)
9th pick: San Antonio Spurs
10th pick: Washington Wizards
11th pick: New York Knicks
12th pick: Oklahoma City Thunder (via LA Clippers)
13th pick: Charlotte Hornets
14th pick. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Pistons were the biggest fallers on the night, as they tanked all year long in the hope that Cade Cunningham can be paired up with one of the top bigs from this year’s draft. The Portland Trail Blazers fell to the 7th position as well, causing the Sacramento Kings to get a top-4 pick.
The Draft will bring in a new wave of talent in the league headlined by three big men at the top, Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga, Jabari Smith Jr. of Auburn, and Paolo Banchero of Duke. Which one of them will become the #1 pick and go to Orlando? Could guard prospects Jaden Ivey or Shaedon Sharpe jump up into the top three? We will find out on 23rd June.
