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NBA draft lottery: Rockets, Pistons, Magic best chance for No. 1

Apr 2, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Paolo Banchero (5) dunks the ball against North Carolina Tar Heels forward Brady Manek (45) during the second half in the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament Final Four semifinals at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The order of selections for the 2022 NBA Draft will be known Tuesday, when the league conducts the lottery in Chicago.

The Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons all have a 14 percent chance to draft No. 1 in this year’s draft on June 23.

All three teams are guaranteed a top-five pick in the draft under the revised lottery rules put in place to guard against tanking.

Houston posted the league’s worst regular-season record (20-62), behind Orlando (22-60) and Detroit (23-59). The Pistons selected Cade Cunningham No. 1 in 2021.

Oklahoma City had 24 wins last season, netting the Thunder a 12 percent chance of taking the grand prize in the lottery Tuesday.

“I think you’re going to see improvement this year and I think our big move is after this coming year,” Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta said of his club’s ongoing rebuild.

Regular-season records determined the order of selections 15-30. The lottery system identifies the teams selecting in the top 14.

Houston, which selected Jalen Green No. 2 in 2021, also holds the No. 17 pick via trade from the Brooklyn Nets in next month’s draft.

Green and Cunningham appear to be building blocks based on stellar rookie seasons. Cunningham backs Duke forward Paolo Banchero as the No. 1 pick, but he isn’t a consensus top selection just yet. Auburn forward Jabari Smith and Gonzaga 7-footer Chet Holmgren are among the other prospects positioning to be the first player off the board.

Orlando fell to No. 5 in the 2021 lottery despite a 14 percent chance to get the top pick. The Magic selected Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga) with their first lottery pick since 2018.

The NBA draft combine is also in Chicago this week before the June 1 deadline for players to pull out of consideration and return to college.

Team 2021-22 record Win % Probability for No. 1 pick
Houston 20-62 0.244 14.00%
Orlando 22-60 0.268 14.00%
Detroit 23-59 0.280 14.00%
Oklahoma City 24-58 0.293 12.50%
Indiana 25-57 0.305 10.50%
Portland 27-55 0.329 9.00%
Sacramento 30-52 0.366 7.50%
Los Angeles Lakers^33-49 0.402 6.00%
San Antonio 34-48 0.415 4.50%
Washington 35-47 0.427 3.00%
New York 37-45 0.451 2.00%
LA Clippers (to OKC)42-40 0.512 1.50%
Charlotte 43-39 0.524 1.00%
Cleveland 44-38 0.537 0.50%

The order for the remainder of the first round picks is as follows:

PICK TEAM
15 New Orleans (to Charlotte)
16 Atlanta
17 Brooklyn (to Houston)
18 Chicago
19 Minnesota
20 Toronto (to San Antonio)
21 Denver
22 Utah (to Memphis)
23 Philadelphia^^
24 Milwaukee
25 Boston (to San Antonio)
26 Dallas
27 Miami
28 Golden State
29 Memphis
30 Phoenix (to Oklahoma City)
^ Pick conveyed either to New Orleans, or to Memphis via New Orleans
^^ Pick may be conveyed to Brooklyn

–Field Level Media

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