The 2022 NBA Draft Lottery results and top picks explained
The Orlando Magic earned the first overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery, which was announced after a drawing held in Chicago. Leading contenders for the top three spots included Chet Holmgren from Gonzaga, Jabari Smith Jr. from Auburn, and Paolo Banchero from Duke, with experts widely predicting these players to land in the top three for the June 23rd draft.
The Oklahoma City Thunder secured the second pick, followed by the Houston Rockets with the third. The Sacramento Kings were slotted in fourth place. Rounding out the lottery order were the Detroit Pistons at five, the Indiana Pacers at six, the Portland Trail Blazers at seven, the New Orleans Pelicans at eight via the Los Angeles Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs at nine, the Washington Wizards at ten, the New York Knicks at eleven, the Oklahoma City Thunder again at twelve via the Los Angeles Clippers, the Charlotte Hornets at thirteen, and the Cleveland Cavaliers at fourteen.
The Magic entered the lottery as the worst team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season with a 22-60 record. They carried a 14 percent chance to win the first pick, the same percentage calculated for the Rockets and Pistons. The Thunder were in on the action with two top picks among the 14 teams in the lottery format for that year.
This marked Orlando Magic’s fourth appearance with a top pick in franchise history. In the franchise’s lottery history, Orlando previously selected Shaquille O’Neal in 1992, Chris Webber in 1993 (though the pick was ultimately traded to the Golden State Warriors), and Dwight Howard in 2004. Securing the top pick would be a significant boost for a franchise seeking positive momentum. The team had missed the playoffs in the two preceding seasons, appeared in the postseason only twice in the last decade, and had not advanced to the first round since the 2009-2010 campaign. In the prior year’s draft, the Magic selected Jalen Suggs with the fifth overall pick and Franz Wagner with the eighth overall pick.