New York Knicks Land 11th Pick at 2022 NBA Draft Lottery
The NBA's ping-pong balls at the annual lottery, held shortly before the Eastern Conference Finals' opener between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, bestowed the New York Knicks the 11th pick at next month's draft. The Knicks (37-45), the first team out of the Eastern Conference postseason proceedings after missing the Play-In Tournament by six games, had a two percent (11th best amongst Tuesday's participants) chance at landing the top choice, eventually won by the Orlando Magic.
The team was represented by Executive Vice President/Senior Basketball Advisor and basketball influencer William Wesley, better known as "World Wide Wes". Forced into their eighth lottery trip in the past nine seasons, returning after a one-year absence last year, the Knicks remain situated in their original lottery odds spot for the first time since 2018. This does, however, mean that the Knicks have still not moved up a draft lottery since the inaugural edition in 1985 when they won the Patrick Ewing sweepstakes amongst and evenly matched eight teams.
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Notable NBA alumni that entered the league as the 11th pick include Reggie Miller (Indiana, 1987), Allan Houston (Detroit, 1993), and Klay Thompson (Golden State, 2011). The Knicks last held the pick in 1969, when they chose St. John's alum John Warren.
Though they enjoyed a one-year absence from the event last season, the Knicks have been all-too-frequent visitors to the lottery dais. Of the lottery batch obtained over the past nine years, only RJ Barrett (third overall, 2019) and Obi Toppin (eighth overall, 2020) remain with the team.
The 2022 NBA Draft will be held on June 23 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. In addition to the 11th pick conferred on Tuesday, the Knicks are also the current owners of the 42nd overall selection in round two.
