2022 NBA Draft: A Look at the First-Round Order Following Lottery
One of the first key phases of the NBA offseason came and went on Tuesday night. Right before the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat tipped off Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 14 team representatives met in Chicago for the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery.
With the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, and the Houston Rockets all in the mix with the best odds for landing the top pick, it was the Magic who found out they would make the top selection when the draft rolls around next month.
Here's how the rest of the lottery played out.
The First 14 Picks
- Orlando Magic
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Houston Rockets
- Sacramento Kings
- Detroit Pistons
- Indiana Pacers
- Portland Trail Blazers
- New Orleans Pelicans (via Lakers)
- San Antonio Spurs
- Washington Wizards
- New York Knicks
- Oklahoma City Thunder (via Clippers)
- Charlotte Hornets
- Cleveland Cavaliers
Beyond the Lottery
15. Charlotte Hornets (via Pelicans)
16. Atlanta Hawks
17. Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn)
18. Chicago Bulls
19. Minnesota Timberwolves
20. San Antonio Spurs (via Raptors)
21. Denver Nuggets
22. Memphis Grizzlies (via Jazz)
23. Philadelphia 76ers (Nets Pending)
24. Milwaukee Bucks
25. San Antonio Spurs (via Celtics)
26. Dallas Mavericks
27. Miami Heat
29. Memphis Grizzlies
30. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Suns)
Will the Sixers Keep Their Pick?
The days of the Philadelphia 76ers loading up on draft picks are long gone. During the Sam Hinkie era, the Sixers would buy picks similar to how the Oklahoma City Thunder operates these days.
But now that the Sixers are working on completing their "Process," they are no longer interested in acquiring picks -- rather, they sell them off for pieces that can win now. At the moment, the Sixers do have their first-round pick, but it technically belongs to the Brooklyn Nets as Philly used it in the deal to land James Harden.
The Nets aren't guaranteed to take the pick. They have until June 1 to decide whether they want to select 23rd overall in the 2022 NBA Draft or defer the selection to 2023.
More Sixers News:
Lack of Mental Toughness: Philadelphia 76ers veterans Tobias Harris and Danny Green believed that Philadelphia’s playoff struggles in the second round could be attributed to a lack of mental toughness and maturity on the team. Following the Game 6 loss against the Miami Heat, the two veterans weighed in on the idea that the team wasn’t mentally ready to take the next step. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
Need an Enforcer: Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid believed that a lack of physicality hurt his team in the second-round playoff series against the Miami Heat. After seeing the impact that a player like P.J. Tucker had on the Heat, Embiid publicly encourages the Sixers’ front office to find an enforcer in the offseason. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.
