The Golden State Warriors just won the NBA Championship, and now it is time for fans to get ready for the 2022-23 season. But before the new season can get underway, all 30 NBA teams will take part in the 2022 NBA Draft and select players who have a chance to become superstars. The 2022 NBA Draft will air on ABC and ESPN on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. ABC will only air the first round, but ESPN will air both the first and second rounds.
The Orlando Magic won the draft lottery, meaning they have the first pick in the draft. And according to multiple mock drafts, the Magic will take Auburn freshman Jabari Smith who made a huge impact in his one season with the Tigers. Along with being named to the All-SEC Freshman Team, Smith, 19 was named to the All-SEC First Team and was named SEC Freshman of the Year. Smith was also a consensus second-team All-American and is ready to join the Magic.
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“I’ll be surprised if I’m not taken No. 1,” Smith told Yahoo Sports. “It’s just my competitive nature mixed with my unselfishness and my ability to just shoot the ball, defend multiple positions and care about winning. I don’t care about stats. I feel I can help any team right away. But I feel I’m the No. 1 pick.”
Another player to watch is Chet Holmgren from Gonzaga. The 20-year-old was also a consensus second-team All-American while winning West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Holmgren will likely be selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that has the second overall pick in the draft.
“I feel like I could fit in with almost anybody. I feel like I’m somebody who highlights other players’ skills as well as finds where to fit in with my skills,” Holmgren said about the Thunder, per Thunder Wire. “I feel like I have a wide variety of skills that compare well with anybody — especially a point guard like Josh Giddey, who has great vision, knows how to get into the teeth of defense and distribute the ball. (It) makes life easy for me and being a lob threat, as well as being able to open up the floor for him, as well spacing the floor — things like that.”
