The Orlando Magic have won Tuesday night’s NBA lottery and will have the first overall pick in the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft. This will be the fourth time in franchise history that the Magic selects at No. 1 and the first since 2004.
Magic entered the lottery with a 14 percent chance to land the opportunity to select first after finishing the regular season at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 22-60 record. The Houston Rockets, who had the league’s worst record of 20-62, will select third. The Detroit Pistons, who also had a 14 percent chance at the No. 1 pick alongside the Magic and the Rockets, fell out of the top 3 and will select at No. 5.
The lottery was favorable for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who landed the second overall pick and will select in the top three for the first time since the 2009 Draft. That year, the Thunder also had the No. 2 selection and picked superstar James Harden. Oklahoma City will have two lottery picks in 2022, owning the No. 12 selection from the LA Clippers as part of the Paul George trade.
The Sacramento Kings managed to leap into the top five as well and will get to pick at No. 4. The Indiana Pacers have the sixth overall pick, followed by the Portland Trail Blazers, the New Orleans Pelicans (via the Los Angeles Lakers), the San Antonio Spurs, and the Washington Wizards. Check out the full 2022 NBA Draft lottery order below.
There is no consensus favorite for the No. 1 selection in 2022 like in some previous years. The top contenders to go first overall include Auburn’s Jabari Smith, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, and Paolo Banchero of Duke.
