NBA Draft Lottery 2022: Order, Mock Predictions For Top First-Round Picks

The 2022 NBA Draft Lottery didn’t exactly go as the odds suggested, shaking up the order of the first round. With no consensus No. 1 overall pick, mock drafts could constantly be changing until the official selections start on June 23.

The Orlando Magic won the 2022 draft lottery, securing the first overall pick. The Oklahoma City Thunder will pick second, followed by the Houston Rockets at No. 3 overall.

The Detroit Pistons were one of two teams that fell down in the draft, based on their lottery odds. As one of the three teams with the best chance to win the lottery, the Pistons ended up with the No. 5 overall pick.

The Sacramento Kings earned the No. 4 pick, despite finishing with the NBA’s seventh-worst record. Sacramento was the beneficiary of poor luck for the Portland Trail Blazers, which landed the No. 7 pick after entering the lottery with the sixth-best odds to grab the top overall selection.

The Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards all have respective top-10 picks. Now the only things to be settled are the draft order for playoffs teams and deciding which players to select in a wide-open rookie class.

Three college basketball stars appear to have a real chance of going first overall. Auburn’s Jabari Smith and Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren will be under consideration by Orlando. Duke’s Paolo Banchero was the projected No. 1 pick early in the 2021-2022 season and remains in the conversation.

Smith is viewed as more of a “sure thing,” but Holmgren’s size and athleticism gives him the highest ceiling of any player in the 2022 draft class. Banchero had the best stats of the three rookies-to-be, averaging 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game for a team that reached the Final Four.

Here’s a look at the exact draft lottery order and predictions for the top five picks in the first round of the draft.

1) Orlando Magic: Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga

2) Oklahoma City Thunder: Jabari Smith, Auburn

3) Houston Rockets Paolo Banchero, Duke

4) Sacramento Kings: Shaedon Sharpe, Kentucky

5) Detroit Pistons: Jaden Ivey, Purdue

6) Indiana Pacers

7) Portland Trail Blazers

8) New Orleans Pelicans

9) San Antonio Spurs

10) Washington Wizards

11) New York Knicks