2022 NBA Draft selection order: which teams pick first?
The 2022 NBA Draft is to be held at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center today, with the Auburn Tigers’ Jabari Smith Jr the favourite for first pick.
Magic with No. 1 pick for first time in 18 years
The Orlando Magic have the first overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, which takes place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Thursday 23 June.
The Magic secured the No. 1 selection earlier in June in the Draft Lottery, which determines the order of the top 14 picks. It is the first time Orlando have had the opening pick since 2004, when the Florida franchise chose Dwight Howard, a player who has gone on to become an eight-time All-Star.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, the Houston Rockets, the Sacramento Kings and the Detroit Pistons complete the top five in the 2022 Draft.
2022 NBA Draft: full order
First round
1. Orlando Magic
2. Oklahoma City Thunder
3. Houston Rockets
4. Sacramento Kings
5. Detroit Pistons
6. Indiana Pacers
7. Portland Trail Blazers
8. New Orleans Pelicans (via Lakers)
9. San Antonio Spurs
10. Washington Wizards
11. New York Knicks
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Clippers)
13. Charlotte Hornets
14. Cleveland Cavaliers
15. Charlotte Hornets (via Pelicans)
16. Atlanta Hawks
17. Houston Rockets (via Nets)
18. Chicago Bulls
19. Minnesota Timberwolves
20. San Antonio Spurs (via Raptors)
21. Denver Nuggets
22. Memphis Grizzlies (via Jazz)
23. Philadelphia 76ers
24. Milwaukee Bucks
25. San Antonio Spurs (via Celtics)
26. Houston Rockets (via Mavericks)
27. Miami Heat
28. Golden State Warriors
29. Memphis Grizzlies
30. Denver Nuggets (via Thunder)
Second round
31. Indiana Pacers (via Cavaliers and Rockets)
32. Orlando Magic
33. Toronto Raptors (via Spurs)
34. Oklahoma City Thunder
35. Orlando Magic (via Bucks and Pacers)
36. Portland Trail Blazers
37. Sacramento Kings
38. San Antonio Spurs (via Bulls, Wizards and Lakers)
39. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Jazz and Spurs)
40. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Cavaliers and Wizards)
41. New Orleans Pelicans
42. New York Knicks
43. Los Angeles Clippers
44. Atlanta Hawks
45. Charlotte Hornets
46. Detroit Pistons (via Nets)
47. Memphis Grizzlies (via Cavaliers)
48. Minnesota Timberwolves
49. Sacramento Kings (via Grizzlies, Bulls and Pistons)
50. Minnesota Timberwolves (via 76ers and Nuggets)
51. Golden State Warriors (via 76ers and Raptors)
52. New Orleans Pelicans (via Jazz)
53. Boston Celtics
54. Washington Wizards (via Mavericks)
55. Golden State Warriors
56. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Pacers and Heat)
57. Portland Trail Blazers (via Jazz and Grizzlies)
58. Indiana Pacers (via Suns)
Why are there only 28 picks in the second round?
There will be two fewer selections this year, as the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat have both forfeited their second-round picks after breaking NBA free agency rules. The Bucks have been punished for discussing a contract with shooting guard Bogdan Bodganovic before free agency opened in November 2020, while the Heat were guilty of doing likewise with point guard Kyle Lowry in summer 2021.
The Chicago Bulls were found to have committed the same infraction in their pursuit of Lonzo Ball in 2021, but as they do not own a second-round pick in 2022, their punishment has been deferred to 2023.
Which players are the favourites to be the first pick?
The chief contender is 19-year-old Auburn Tigers power forward Jabari Smith Jr, whose father, Jabari Smith, was a second-round pick in the 2000 Draft, before playing for the Kings, the 76ers and the Nets. Smith Jr, who was an NCAA All-American and won Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year in 2022, has averaged 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 block in 34 games for Auburn, with a 42% success rate on three-pointers.
Fellow All-Americans Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren are also among the favourites to be picked first. Duke Blue Devils power-forward Banchero, 19, was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year in 2022, while Gonzaga Bulldogs big man Holmgren, 20, was the West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
2022 NBA Draft: how to watch
Held on Thursday from 8pm ET/5pm PT, the 2022 NBA Draft will be broadcast in its entirety in the US by ESPN. To watch online, go to ESPN.com or the ESPN App.
The first round of the Draft will also be aired in the US by ABC, which will provide live online streams on ABC.com and the ABC App.
2022 NBA Draft live with AS USA
Another option is to follow the Draft with AS USA. We’ll be providing live-text commentary of the event, bringing you details of every pick as it happens.