The NBA is one of the biggest sporting associations on the planet, and there’s no denying how popular it is. Stars such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and a plethora of other players are all attracting people to the sport with their exploits on the NBA’s courts. Then there are the sports betting fans, who like to follow progress of the teams and keep up to date with events in the sport, check the 2023 NBA championship odds and place a wager on who will win the finals.
One of the most exciting aspects of the NBA is the NBA draft, in which teams can pick new players to join them. Up-and-coming talents in basketball can join the NBA and impact their teams for the better. Below is a look at how the draft works and at some of the players to have most made an impression from the 2022 draft.
How the NBA draft works
The NBA draft is the process of teams picking players from colleges or international professional leagues. The teams can pick players depending on their position in the league. When they claim their pick, they then gain the exclusive right to sign that player officially for the team.
Really, the draft consists of two rounds. The teams can pick 30 players collectively in the first round, and in the whole draft they can pick 60. Each team receives one pick, depending upon where they’ve finished in the league. If they think it will help the team to win more games or achieve other goals, they can trade picks for current players.
The lottery system
The draft begins in the form of a lottery system. The 14 teams that didn’t make the playoffs in the most recent season are the first 14 teams to pick. They then get placed into a lottery system to decide the order of who gets to pick. The team that wins gets the first pick.
The teams that did make it to the playoffs receive the next 16 picks, from 15 to 30. However, they do so in reverse order. The team that won the season gets the 30th pick. Teams receive one selection in the first round and one in the second round.
The lottery disappears from the second round. Picks 31 to 60 are decided from the teams’ overall record in the season. The best team gets the last pick (60), and the worst team gets the first pick (31).
The purpose and history of the draft
The idea behind the draft is to help teams who have performed poorly or who are rebuilding to improve their roster. Teams that have performed well, though, can still pick new players.
The system may seem complex but going back to its early days in 1966 through to 1984, it was unbelievably simple. The team that placed the worst in each conference took part in a coin flip, with the winning team receiving the first overall draft pick. The losing team would receive the second one. Then the remaining teams would pick in inverse order, depending on their regular season records.
It was in June 1984 that the NBA Board of Governors decided nonplayoff teams (or teams maintaining their picks through trades) would be placed into a lottery system to determine draft pick order in the first round. In October 1995, the board expanded the number of teams participating in the draft lottery from 11 to 13; and in 2004, from 13 to 14.
Best drafts in 2022
The 2022 draft saw some major talents enter the NBA. Below is a quick look at two of the best drafts from 2022.
Paolo Banchero
Paolo Banchero serves as a forward for the Orlando Magic and won the NBA 2022-23 Rookie of the Year title recently. Banchero is strong, athletic and displays good fluidity of movement, whether with or without the ball. He has superb footwork and has good control of his body, using it well to shield the ball from defenders when attempting shots. He has no problem with crossing defenders and spinning round, and he’s more of a slam dunker than a layup scorer. Follow us here at ehallpass.
Chet Holmgren
Chet Holmgren is a center forward drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder and possesses the length and mobility to really make an impact defensively. As a freshman for Gonzaga, he ranked 10th amongst college players as a shot blocker because of his incredible wingspan.
For a seven-footer, he also boasts rare offensive skill and can shoot from anywhere on the court. He also handles the ball like a guard and can create on offense. Basically, he’s a menace to the opposing teams.
The NBA draft is an exciting time for basketball fans and for teams as they keep an eye out for the stars of tomorrow. Then when the season starts, all eyes are on them to see if the team made a good selection.
