2022 NBA Draft: By The Numbers

INQUIRER.net / 06:10 PM June 23, 2022

NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks during the 2021 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on July 29, 2021 in New York City. Arturo Holmes/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Arturo Holmes / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

The annual NBA Rookie Draft is scheduled for June 24, Friday (Philippine time) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Here is a by-the-numbers look at the 2022 NBA Draft:

History

3 – Duke and Kentucky have had the most No. 1 overall picks among U.S. colleges during the common era of the NBA Draft (since 1966) with three each. The Blue Devils’ No. 1 selections have been Elton Brand (1999), Kyrie Irving (2011) and Zion Williamson (2019). The Wildcats’ No. 1 selections have been John Wall (2010), Anthony Davis (2012) and Karl-Anthony Towns (2015).
9 – Barclays Center will host the NBA Draft for the ninth time.
12 – A college freshman has been the No. 1 overall pick in each of the last 12 years. The last non- freshman selected with the first pick was Oklahoma sophomore Blake Griffin in 2009.
30 – All 30 first-round picks from the 2021 NBA Draft played in at least one game during the 2020-21 NBA season.
36 – 2016-1 NBA Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon, a second-round pick (No. 36 overall) in the 2016 NBA Draft, is the only player not drafted in the first round to win the award in the common draft era.
41 – Two-time reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, making him the lowest-drafted player to be named MVP with the exception of three-time recipient Moses Malone, who was not selected in the NBA Draft.
1989 – The two-round format for the NBA Draft was implemented in 1989.

Teams

1 – The Orlando Magic is set to make the first pick in the NBA Draft for the fourth time in franchise history. Orlando previously selected Shaquille O’Neal (1992), Chris Webber (1993) and Dwight Howard (2004) with the No. 1 overall pick.
2 – The Oklahoma City Thunder, which has the second overall pick in the NBA Draft, is set to select in the top five for the first time since 2009.
5 – The Detroit Pistons are set to make the fifth pick in the NBA Draft for the first time.
7 – The Portland Trail Blazers (seventh pick) are set to make their highest pick since selecting Damian Lillard with the sixth pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.
1988 – The Indiana Pacers (sixth pick) are set to make their highest pick since the 1988 NBA Draft, when they selected Rik Smits with the No. 2 pick.

Prospect Highlights

3.66 – Gonzaga forward-center Chet Holmgren averaged 3.66 blocked shots per game in the 2021-22 season, which ranked fourth in NCAA Division I.
16.3 – Iowa forward Keegan Murray raised his scoring average by 16.3 points this past season (23.5 from 7.2), the largest increase by a Big Ten player in 49 years.
17.2 – Duke forward Paulo Banchero averaged 17.2 points per game in the 2021-22 season, the highest mark in the nation for a true freshman.
53 – Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji made a three-pointer in a school-record 53 consecutive games.
79 – Auburn forward Jabari Smith made 79 three-pointers in the 2021-22 season, a school record for a freshman.
155 – Auburn center Walker Kessler led the nation and set a single-season school record with 155 blocked shots in the 2021-22 season.

Basketball Bonds

5 – Rutgers guard-forward Ron Harper Jr. is the son of Ron Harper, who won five NBA championships during his 15-year playing career.
9 – Duke forward AJ Griffin is the son of Toronto Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin, who played nine seasons in the NBA.
10 – Colorado forward Jabari Walker is the son of Samaki Walker, who played 10 seasons in the NBA and won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2001-02 season.
75 – Vanderbilt guard Scotty Pippen Jr. is the son of six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen, a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
905 – St. John’s forward Julian Champagnie is the identical twin brother of Toronto Raptors forward Justin Champagnie, who spent part of his 2021-22 rookie season with Toronto’s NBA G League affiliate, Raptors 905.
2001 – Purdue guard Jaden Ivey is the son of Notre Dame women’s basketball head coach Niele Ivey, who helped the Fighting Irish win the 2001 NCAA championship before playing in the WNBA and later serving as an NBA assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies.
2017 – Duke center Mark Williams is the brother of Washington Mystics center-forward Elizabeth Williams, a 2017 WNBA All-Star and former standout with the Blue Devils.

Global Game

2/3/4 – Guards Dyson Daniels (Australia; NBA Global Academy; NBA G League Ignite), Bennedict Mathurin (Canada; NBA Academy Latin America; University of Arizona) and Hyunjung Lee (South Korea; NBA Global Academy; Davidson College) can become the second, third and fourth graduates of the NBA Academy program to be drafted into the NBA, after 2021-22 NBA All-Rookie Second Team member Josh Giddey (Australia; Oklahoma City Thunder; NBA Global Academy) became the first last year. Additionally, 2022 NBA Draft-eligible prospects Ibou Dianko Badji (Senegal; NBA Academy Africa) and Jean Montero (Dominican Republic; NBA Academy Latin America) participated in the NBA Academy program prior to pursuing professional basketball opportunities.
4 – New Zealand Breakers forward Ousmane Dieng (France) previously trained at the same academy in Paris as four-time NBA champion Tony Parker and several other NBA standouts.
10 – At least 10 international players have been selected in each NBA Draft since 2000, and at least two international players have been selected in the top 10 in each of the last nine NBA Drafts.
19 – Mega Mozzart guard-forward Nikola Jović (Serbia), who turned 19 on June 3, was named the 2021-22 Top Prospect in the ABA League, a regional competition in Europe.
27 – A record 27 international players were selected in the 2016 NBA Draft, including a record 15 in every first round and a record-tying 12 in the second round.

NBA G League

3 – Three players from NBA G League Ignite were selected in the 2021 NBA Draft: No. 2 pick Jalen Green (Houston Rockets), No. 7 pick Jonathan Kuminga (Golden State Warriors) and No. 31 pick Isaiah Todd (Washington Wizards).
5 – NBA G League Ignite features five players who are 2022 NBA Draft prospects: guard-forward MarJon Beauchamp, guards Dyson Daniels and Jaden Hardy, and forwards Michael Foster Jr. and Fanbo Zeng.
37 – Thirty-seven of the 60 players who were selected in the 2021 NBA Draft played in the NBA G League during the 2021-22 season, including 16 first-round selections.

NBA Cares and Jr. NBA

2 – Two top prospects will attend the graduation today at Dual Language Middle School in New York and share inspiring advice and congratulatory wishes with the graduating class.
11 – During draft week, the Jr. NBA Skills Challenge National Finals are being held in New York and integrated into the draft experience. Top scorers from 11 regionals around the country are competing for a chance to win their respective divisions (Boys 13U, Girls 13U, Boys 11U and Girls 11U).
30 – The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association today will host a basketball combine for 30 local youth and an NBA Cares packing project in partnership with New Era to support local New Yorkers.

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