NBA Draft Articles - Page 58

The Dallas Mavericks emerged as one of the biggest pleasant surprises in the NBA this season. The Mavs finished the regular season on a hot streak and rose to 4th place in the West with a record of 52-30. They carried this momentum into the playoffs and knocked off the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns. […]

The Miami Heat just finished an impressive season in which they fell just shy of the 2022 NBA Finals. The Heat earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference by securing a record of 53-29. They built off this momentum and, led by Jimmy Butler, took the Boston Celtics to seven games in the Eastern […]

The Toronto Raptors have done an excellent job establishing an identity over the past few years. They have built a roster loaded with length and athleticism. Toronto’s collection of unique players and defensive ability makes them an intimidating matchup for any team. it was a fairly impressive season for the Raptors. They turned things around […]

The Atlanta Hawks are on the heels of a disappointing 2021 season. The franchise took a significant step back after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020. Atlanta finished with a 43-39 record in the regular season and was knocked out by the Miami Heat in the opening round of the playoffs. There is a […]

The Philadelphia 76ers enter the 2022 NBA Draft with one draft pick and a ton of needs. Joel Embiid, James Harden and company disappointed in the second round of the playoffs. Now, Daryl Morey has some work to do with his roster. It starts with making the most of the 23rd overall pick. Philadelphia only […]

The Detroit Pistons enter the NBA Draft with a chance to greatly improve their team. Armed with the first pick in last year’s draft, Detroit came away with guard Cade Cunningham, who looks like a cornerstone player. Selecting with the fifth pick in 2022, the Pistons can put a talented player alongside Cunningham. Unless there […]

The previous iteration of the Orlando Magic reached its ceiling with Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier. The organization decided to trade that core and rebuild its roster through another young core led by Cole Anthony, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., and the rest of the crew. They struggled to squeak into the playoffs […]

The Houston Rockets are entering a new era in their history. After losing their stars in the last few years, the team has been going through a thorough rebuild. Young guns like Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun have looked promising, but that hasn’t exactly translated to team success yet. The next stage of this rebuild […]

The Sacramento Kings have entered win-now mode after trading for Domantas Sabonis at the deadline. While Sacramento didn’t make it to the playoffs, they have a star duo in De’Aaron Fox and Sabonis that pair well together. The Kings could make a push for the playoffs next season with a great offseason. Adding depth to […]

Former Los Angeles Lakers big man Shaquille O’Neal was arguably the biggest prize of the NBA draft in the 1990s and was a no-doubter number one overall pick for the Orlando Magic back in 1992. The hype isn’t exactly the same for his son Shareef. But the 2022 NBA draft prospect is reportedly getting a look […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder have struggled in recent seasons, recording back-to-back 50-loss campaigns. Long gone are the Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook-James Harden days, though the franchise is not without hope. General manager Sam Presti has stockpiled draft picks, which have begun to yield promising players. While a bit injury-prone, 2019 first-round pick Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has proven […]

The Orlando Magic possessing the first overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft gives them a lot of possibilities. With a trio of very high-level prospects to pick from, they seem to be zeroing in on Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr. Smith’s dynamic shooting abilities and defensive chops make him a very intriguing prospect. The 6-foot-10 […]

The Detroit Pistons have begun to build their young nucleus with their eyes on the future. Led by last year’s first overall pick, Cade Cunningham, the Pistons have begun to build an identity as a team. Their 22-59 record may not be as promising but there are positive signs to build off moving forward. Their […]

The Portland Trail Blazers are dangerously close to missing their championship window. Dame Lillard is now 31-years-old and missed all but 29 games this season due to injury. The organization elected to use it as a rebuilding year and handed the reigns to Anfernee Simons. The 27-55 record left the franchise out of the postseason […]

The Charlotte Hornets have made some impressive strides as a franchise in recent years. Their young core of talent has begun to grow and establish itself at a rapid rate. The franchise finished with a record of 43-39 and ended in 10th place in the Eastern Conference last season. While they were unable to make […]

The Charlotte Hornets are in the midst of putting an intriguing roster together. The franchise made it to the play-in tournament this season after securing a record of 43-39. The youthful Hornets are not far off from competing and are currently in a solid position. While most of their offseason will be centered around free-agent […]

The Atlanta Hawks are seemingly set for an eventful offseason. After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020-2021, the Hawks failed to meet expectations this season. Their 44-39 record solidified an 8th place finish for the franchise and they were knocked out of the playoffs by the Miami Heat in the opening round. It is […]

The New Orleans Pelicans surprised everyone by making the playoffs and giving the Phoenix Suns a tough fight. But can they do it again? What they do in the 2022 NBA Draft will be a big factor in that question. Although the Pelicans don’t have their own first-round pick, they have the eighth overall pick […]

The Los Angeles Clippers endured an injury-plagued 2021-2022 NBA season. They have the talent to be a top-tier contender but Kawhi Leonard missed the entirety of the year while Paul George battled injuries and faced a covid scare in the postseason. This was a team that truly suffered from bad luck. Nonetheless, the Clippers have […]

A key date in the New York Knicks’ offseason is approaching. In 15 days, the 2022 NBA Draft will roll around and give the Knicks the chance to make huge additions to their roster. With the 11th overall pick, as well as the 42nd overall pick, the Knicks once again need to add a highly […]

The Boston Celtics are currently in the midst of battling it out in the NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors. A big reason they’re even at this point is superstar Jayson Tatum, who has been a pillar for this franchise for several years now. In the 2017 NBA Draft, the Celtics took the former […]

The New Orleans Pelicans had a successful season, making it to the playoffs without Zion Williamson. New Orleans first-year head coach Willie Green did a tremendous job building the scheme and culture up. The trade for C.J. McCollum at the deadline was fantastic, as he helped them make their playoff push. He is an excellent […]

The San Antonio Spurs have begun retooling after their brief time without being in the playoffs. The Spurs were most recently knocked out of the play-in game by the New Orleans Pelicans. It has now been three seasons since the franchise has been in the playoffs. San Antonio has notably added some versatile, lengthy players […]

The NBA Draft is rapidly approaching which is the most exciting time of year for the Oklahoma City Thunder. They have begun their rebuild process and still hold an immense of draft picks moving forward. When looking at this draft, the Thunder hold the 2nd, 12th, 30th, and 34th picks in the 2022 Draft. Oklahoma […]

The Portland Trail Blazers did not luck out in the lottery after their rebuilding season in 2021-22. Their 27-55 record was the sixth-worst in the NBA. They left the draft lottery with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. While most of the focus falls on this first-round selection, the Trail Blazers also […]

The New York Knicks took a notable step back this season after their promising playoff performance in 2021. Despite the disappointing season, the Knicks remain in the mix of offseason rumors. The franchise will certainly be looking to make a splash and rise into the contender category. While the trade market and free agency are […]

The Atlanta Hawks made the playoffs for the second straight season, though they took a significant step back this year, losing in the first round after advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. It became very clear that the team was in need of another capable player alongside star guard Trae Young, who was […]

The Washington Wizards are coming off a disappointing 35-47 season in which they failed to make it to the play-in tournament. The franchise appears at a crossroads with the news about Bradley Beal’s contract looming. While it appears Beal is leaning toward returning to the organization, this does not change the flawed roster surrounding him. […]

With the 2022 NBA Draft less than three weeks way, rumors are heating up across the league. The Sacramento Kings are no exception. The Kings landed the fourth pick in the NBA Draft Lottery despite their odds projecting them to end up at No. 8. Although plenty of talent will be available at the four […]

The Houston Rockets landed the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft one year after selecting Jalen Green. Majority of mock drafts have pegged Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr., Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, and Duke’s Paolo Banchero as the three best prospects of this class. Most project Smith Jr. and Holmgren to go in the […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the midst of a rebuild with a very young roster. Oklahoma City has done a great job of turning star players into a young core with a plethora of draft picks. The Thunder have three first-round picks, at number two, 12, and 30. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is their current star, […]

The Indiana Pacers have the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. As they look to build for the future, they will look to add a future star alongside Tyrese Haliburton with that selection. It would behoove them to look into adding another first-rounder in this year’s draft. The Pacers could use one of […]

Most of the buzz surrounding the 2022 NBA Draft has Jabari Smith Jr. going to the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick. That could work out perfectly for the Oklahoma City Thunder with Gonzaga standout Chet Holmgren potentially falling right into their lap. Not exactly a bad consolation prize if it happens. But there’s […]

The Dallas Mavericks made a surprising run to the Western Conference Finals behind the mind-boggling play of Luka Doncic. Doncic and the Mavs were not expected to make it far, as they don’t have the same star power as other teams in the West. While Doncic doesn’t have a solidified star, the players around him […]

The Chicago Bulls have completed step one of their rebuild by making it back to the playoffs. Now, they have to find out a way to make this core a consistent playoff team. Their next chance to work toward that goal will come at the 2022 NBA Draft, where they have the 18th overall selection, […]

After landing the 3rd pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets are in position to take the next step in their fresh rebuild. The talented young duo of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. is already in place. With another top pick, the Rockets can round out a young core to build around […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in a bit of a peculiar situation right now. Yes, their “tank” was successful and they landed themselves one of the top prized in the 2022 NBA Draft. However… instead of getting the first overall pick, they were handed the number TWO pick by the lottery gods. Now, don’t get […]

The Orlando Magic have been rewarded for their poor performance this season by receiving the first overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. This is the fourth time in their franchise history that they have received the top pick and the first time since adding Shaq in 1992. The Magic are not as far out […]

The Houston Rockets are in a favorable position ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft. General Manager Rafael Stone is working with a top pick to pair with Jalen Green and the rest of Houston’s young roster. While many eyes are on the third pick, the Rockets also have an opportunity for a home-run selection using […]