2022 NBA Draft is Tonight! News, notes and other interesting facts about the upcoming Draft.

Barclays Center in 2019. By Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0, https commons.wikimedia.org

Below are some notes on the 2022 NBA Draft which will be held on June 23 in Brooklyn, NY.

LOOKING OUT FOR NO. 1

• The Orlando Magic is set to make the first pick in the NBA Draft for the fourth time in franchise history. In 1992, the Magic used the top pick to select Shaquille O’Neal. In 1993, Orlando selected Chris Webber with the No. 1 pick and traded his rights to the Golden State Warriors for the rights to the No. 3 overall pick, Penny Hardaway. In 2004, the Magic made Dwight Howard the first pick.

• In the Lottery era (since 1985), the Cleveland Cavaliers have made the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft the most (five times). With the top pick, Cleveland selected Brad Daugherty (1986), LeBron James (2003), Kyrie Irving (2011), Anthony Bennett (2013) and Andrew Wiggins (2014).

• This year’s first overall pick will potentially join an Orlando roster that includes 2021-22 NBA All-Rookie First Team selection Franz Wagner, 2021 fifth overall pick Jalen Suggs and 2020 first-round pick Cole Anthony, who led the Magic in scoring and assists in 2021-22 in his second NBA season.

• A college freshman has been the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft in each of the last 12 years. The last non-freshman to be selected with the first pick was Oklahoma sophomore Blake Griffin in 2009.

• In the common era of the NBA Draft (since 1966), Duke and Kentucky have had the most first overall picks with three each. The Blue Devils’ No. 1 selections are Elton Brand (1999), Kyrie Irving (2011) and Zion Williamson (2019). The Wildcats’ No. 1 selections are John Wall (2010), Anthony Davis (2012) and Karl-Anthony Towns (2015).

• Since the NBA Draft Lottery began in 1985, four of the 37 first overall picks have won an NBA championship with the team that drafted them: David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs; first pick in 1987), Tim Duncan (Spurs; first pick in 1997), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers; first pick in 2003) and Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers; first pick in 2011). James’ NBA championship with the Cavaliers came in his second stint with the team. PICKING AND


PICKING AND CHOOSING

• The Oklahoma City Thunder franchise is set to select second overall in the NBA Draft for the third time in the common draft era. With the No. 2 pick, the then Se- attle SuperSonics selected Gary Payton in 1990 and Kevin Durant in 2007. Both players were named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

• The Thunder has two other picks in the first round (Nos. 12 and 30). This marks the second year in a row that Oklahoma City is set to make three picks in the first round. • The Houston Rockets are set to pick third overall in the NBA Draft for the second time in franchise history. In 1983, the Rockets selected Rodney McCray with the third pick. • This is the second year in a row with multiple first-round picks for the Rockets, who also have the 17th pick in 2022. Last year, Houston selected three players in the first round after not making a first-round pick for five consecutive years from 2016-20. • The Sacramento Kings are set to pick fourth overall in the NBA Draft for the first time since 2009, when they selected 2009-10 NBA Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans.

• The Detroit Pistons are set to make the fifth pick in the NBA Draft for the first time in franchise history.

• The Indiana Pacers (sixth pick) are set to make a pick in the top 10 for the first time since selecting Paul George with the 10th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. This will be the highest pick for the Pacers since they selected Rik Smits with the second pick in the 1988 NBA Draft.

• The Portland Trail Blazers (seventh pick) are set to make their highest pick since selecting NBA 75th Anniversary Team member Damian Lillard with the sixth pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

• There are 58 picks in the 2022 NBA Draft instead of the usual 60. The Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks both forfeited second-round picks for violating league rules governing the timing of free agency discussions.

• All 30 first-round picks and 23 second-round picks from the 2021 NBA Draft played in at least one game during the 2020-21 NBA season.


SCHOOL TIES

• Auburn’s Jabari Smith has a chance to become the fifth top-five pick in school history, joining Charles Barkley (1984), Chuck Person (1986), Chris Morris (1988) and Isaac Okoro (2020).

• Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren has a chance to become the school’s highest draft pick since Adam Morrison was selected with the third pick in the 2006 NBA Draft.

• Duke has five players who could potentially be selected in the 2022 NBA Draft: Paolo Banchero, A.J. Griffin, Trevor Keels, Wendell Moore Jr. and Mark Williams. The Blue Devils have had at least two players selected in the NBA Draft Lottery in four of the previous seven years.

• Purdue’s Jaden Ivey has a chance to become the school’s first player selected in the NBA Draft Lottery since Glenn Robinson was the first overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft.

• Iowa’s Keegan Murray has a chance to become the school’s first first-round pick since Ricky Davis in 1998 (No. 21) and its first top-10 pick since Ronnie Lester in 1980 (No. 10).

• Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis has a chance to become the school’s third top-10 pick in the common draft era, joining Devin Harris (No. 5 in 2004) and Frank Kaminsky (No. 9 in 2015).

• Since a two-round NBA Draft was adopted in 1989, Kentucky has had the most first-round selections with 43. Duke is next with 40 first-round picks.

• Since 1989, Kentucky holds the record for the most picks in an NBA Draft from one school – six each in 2012 and 2015.


NBA G LEAGUE IGNITE

• Five players from NBA G League Ignite are among the prospects in the 2022 NBA Draft: MarJon Beauchamp, Dyson Daniels, Michael Foster Jr., Jaden Hardy and Fanbo Zeng.

• Daniels signed with Ignite out of the NBA Global Academy in his native Australia.

• Hardy was ranked by ESPN as the No. 2 prospect in the 2021 high school recruiting class.

• Beauchamp previously played at Yakima Valley College, where he averaged 30.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 12 games.

• Foster, a 2021 McDonald’s All-American, averaged 32.2 points and 18.4 rebounds as a high school senior at Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix.

• Zeng, who is from China, moved to the U.S. to play high school basketball at Windermere Preparatory School in Florida.


GLOBAL GAME

• In the 2022 NBA Draft, the top international players who did not play for a U.S. college include Hugo Besson (France), Dyson Daniels (Australia), Ousmane Dieng (France), Khalifa Diop (Senegal), Nikola Jović (Serbia), Ismael Kamagate (France) and Jean Montero (Dominican Repulic).

• Dyson Daniels (Australia) and Bennedict Mathurin (Canada) have a chance to become the second and third NBA Global Academy graduates to be selected in the NBA Draft. Australia’s Josh Giddey became the first when the Oklahoma City Thunder selected him with the sixth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Giddey was a 2021-22 NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection.

• Potential NBA Draft Lottery picks Shaedon Sharpe (Kentucky) and Bennedict Mathurin (Arizona) are both from Canada, which had the most players born outside of the U.S. on opening-night rosters for the 2021-22 season (18).

• France’s Ousmane Dieng (New Zealand Breakers) was the first European-born player to join the NBL’s Next Stars program, which has helped develop LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey and R.J. Hampton into NBA players in recent years.

• Nikola Jović (Serbia) averaged 11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists for Mega Basket as an 18-year-old in his first full season in the ABA League, a regional competition in Europe. He was named the ABA’s top prospect in a vote by coaches, media and fans.

• A record 27 international players were drafted in 2016, including a record 15 in the first round and a record-tying 12 in the second round.


BASKETBALL BONDS

• Duke’s Paolo Banchero is the son of Rhonda Smith-Banchero, who was a two-time All-America center at Washington and played professionally in the WNBA.

• Auburn’s Jabari Smith is the son of Jabari Smith Sr., who played 108 games over four seasons in the NBA. He is also a cousin of Kwame Brown, the first overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft.

• Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren is the son of Dave Holmgren, who stands 7 feet tall and played college basketball at Minnesota.

• Purdue’s Jaden Ivey is the son of Notre Dame women’s basketball head coach Niele Ivey, who spent the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies. Niele was an All-America selection at Notre Dame and played five seasons in the WNBA.

• Duke’s AJ Griffin is the son of Toronto Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin, who played nine seasons in the NBA. • Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis is the son of Mark Davis, who had a long professional career that included 33 games in the NBA in 1988-89.

• Baylor’s Jeremy Sochan is the son of Aneta Sochan, who was born in Poland and came to the U.S. to play college basketball at Oklahoma Panhandle State, where she met Jeremy’s father, the late Ryan Williams, who played for the men’s team.

• Duke’s Mark Williams is the brother of WNBA veteran Elizabeth Williams, who also played for Duke and was the fourth pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft. Elizabeth was a WNBA All-Star in 2017.

• Auburn’s Walker Kessler is the son of Chad Kessler, who was a fifth-round pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. Walker’s uncle, the late Alec Kessler, was a 1990 first-round pick who played four seasons in the NBA. • Milwaukee’s Patrick Baldwin is the son of Patrick Baldwin Sr., who was his head coach in college and also played at the school.

• Colorado’s Jabari Walker is the son of Samaki Walker, who played 10 seasons in the NBA and won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2001-02 season.

• St. John’s’ Julian Champagnie is the identical twin brother of Toronto Raptors forward Justin Champagnie.

• Rutgers’ Ron Harper Jr. is the son of Ron Harper, who played 15 seasons in the NBA and won five championships.

• Vanderbilt’s Scotty Pippen Jr. is the son of six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen, a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

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