As the 2022 NBA Finals continue between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics, the attention has already turned to the new wave of stars preparing to embark on their NBA journey. Here is Pinnacle’s one-stop guide to what and who to look for ahead of draft night.
The NBA Breakdown: 2022 Finals special with James Gregg, Joe Vardon and Seth Partnow.
2022 NBA Draft: What’s happened so far?
The draft itself will have 58 picks instead of the usual 60 due to the loss of second-round picks for both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat for violating the NBA’s tampering rules during free agency.
In May, we discovered that seven of the 44 G League Elite Camp participants were chosen to continue to the main Draft Combine. Jared Rhoden, Tyrese Martin, Kenneth Lofton Jr., Bryson Williams, Darius Days, Jalen Wilson, and Marcus Sasser will take their place in the draft on June 23.
This news was followed a few days later by the NBA Draft Combine and Draft Lottery, which determined the draft order.
2022 NBA Draft: Where is it?
The 2022 NBA Draft will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The 76th edition of the draft will be a return to the draft’s usual timing after the event was postponed in both 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.
2022 NBA Draft: When is it?
It’s expected that the NBA Draft will begin at 7:30 pm (ET) on Thursday, June 23, 2022. It will be shown live on ABC and ESPN in North America.
Which franchise has got the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft?
The Orlando Magic will have the number one pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. The Magic ended the regular season with 22 wins and 60 defeats in their 82 games, with a winning percentage of .268%. But their second pick isn’t until number 32.
Oklahoma City Thunder have got the second overall pick in the draft after having the fourth-worst record in the league last season with 24 wins and 58 losses. They also have the most picks within the top 20 with two (second and 12th).
Who is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft?
Watch Joe Vardon's exclusive thoughts ahead of the Draft. Who does the NBA insider value as the top three picks?
While in 2021, it was expected that Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham would be drafted No. 1 by the Detroit Pistons, in 2022 it’s not as clear cut.
During the frenzy and mock drafts in the run-up to the event, we’ve seen Auburn forward Jabari Smith Jr. and Duke’s Paolo Banchero in the discussion but it’s Gonzaga’s 7ft Center Chet Holmgren that has been leading the way amongst the scouts and experts. It may be that the Magic partner him with former Minnehaha Academy teammate Jalen Suggs – who was drafted to Orlando in 2021.
Elsewhere, Purdue guard Jaden Ivey – perhaps the most athletic guard in this year’s draft class – and Iowa forward Keegan Murray could round out the top five. The first non-American pick could be Frenchman Ousmane Dieng, who last played for the New Zealand Breakers.
Which European-based players will be in the 2022 NBA Draft?
Serbian team KK Mega Basket will be represented by new era all-round forward Nikola Jovic, who is slowly becoming a threat in both scoring and assisting.
Other names to look out for include Paris Basketball center Ismael Kamagate, Gran Canaria’s Khalifa Diop and Mega’s Karlo Matkovic.