Orlando win lottery, receive first pick in 2022 NBA Draft

The Orlando Magic will pick first overall in the 2022 NBA Draft this June after beating out the likes of Oklahoma City, Houston, and Sacramento in this morning’s lottery.

Orlando received the first pick, whilst Oklahoma City and Houston rounded out the top three. Orlando finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference at 22-60 and had the league’s second-worst record. Head coach Jamahl Mosley was in the building to represent the franchise, who will now select first overall for the fourth time in franchise history and first time since 2004. They selected future MVP Shaquille O’Neal out of LSU in 1992, future Hall of Famer Chris Webber the following year out of Michigan who was immediately traded to Golden State for Penny Hardaway, and eight-time All-Star Dwight Howard in 2004 straight out of Southwest Christian Academy in Atlanta.

Whilst the Magic will control the draft, there are some potential stars that may fall. The lottery order is:

1. 1. Orlando Magic
   2. Oklahoma City Thunder
   3. Houston Rockets
   4. Sacramento Kings
   5. Detroit Pistons
   6. Indiana Pacers
   7. Portland Trail Blazers
   8. New Orleans Pelicans (via LA Lakers)
   9. San Antonio Spurs
   10. Washington Wizards
   11. New York Knicks
   12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via LA Clippers)
   13. Charlotte Hornets
   14. Cleveland Cavaliers

Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, Duke’s Paolo Banchero, and Auburn’s Jabari Smith are all expected to draw consideration from Orlando at one and are widely considered the consensus top three players in the draft, whilst Purdue’s Jaden Ivey, Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharpe, Iowa’s Keegan Murray, Duke’s A.J. Griffin and Australian G-Leaguer Dyson Daniels are among other names being mentioned as projected top-five picks.

Seven-footer Holmgren averaged 14.1 ppg, 9.9 rpg and 3.7 bpg in 26.9 mpg as a freshman at Gonzaga and regularly showcased an ability to make perimeter shots and protect the rim. There are concerns over his frame – he weighs in at just 195 lbs – as he makes the leap into the pros, but the Minneapolis-native was the country’s premier high school recruit coming into the season and has done nothing to harm his reputation. Banchero averaged 17.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg and 3.2 apg in 33.0 mpg as a freshman at Duke. At 6-10, 250 lbs, Banchero has an NBA-ready frame and displayed shot-creation qualities in his one season as a Blue Devil but has strides to make as a three-point shooter and a defender. Jabari Smith averaged 16.9 ppg and 7.4 rpg in 28.8 mpg as a freshman at Auburn, whilst hitting on 42 per cent of his three-point attempts. At 6-10, Smith has the size and shooting ability to ascend to NBA stardom but is not as polished inside the arc as some of his counterparts.

Orlando drafted Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner in the lottery last year, who joined the likes of Cole Anthony, Wendell Carter Jr., and Jonathan Isaac under rookie head coach Mosley. Orlando will prioritise talent accumulation over fit and will take the player they judge is the best available. Oklahoma City drafted Josh Giddey in last year’s lottery to plug alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. General manager Sam Presti has acquired a vast collection of future draft picks over the past several seasons and will not hesitate drafting the player he deems the best available. Houston, meanwhile, finished with the league’s worst record this season and will be eager to acquire pieces to play alongside Jalen Green.

The draft will be held in Brooklyn on the morning of Friday 24 June (AEST). Whilst some have dubbed it a “three-player draft”, a number of prospects made leaps as the college season progressed and some overseas players shot up the boards at different points. Bendigo-native Dyson Daniels and Perth-native Luke Travers are among the players hoping to have their names called, whilst Ousmane Dieng and Hugo Besson spent time with the New Zealand Breakers in the most recent NBL season.

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