Wizards to pick 10th in 2022 NBA Draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Washington Wizards will pick 10th overall in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft, as they did not move up or down in Tuesday night’s lottery. The draft will take place on June 23 in Brooklyn.
The Wizards entered the lottery with a 3% chance of picking first overall and 13.9% odds of selecting in the top-4. But they had the highest likelihood to pick 10th, at 65.9%. Washington finished the 2021-22 regular season with the 10th-worst record in the NBA at 35-47.
Picking 10th will put the Wizards out of range to select from the top tier of prospects, but there is likely to be plenty of value still left on the board. Some options could include Bennedict Mathurin (Arizona), Jalen Duren (Memphis), Johnny Davis (Wisconsin), Tari Eason (LSU) and TyTy Washington (Kentucky).
The Wizards’ biggest needs entering the offseason include point guard, 3-point shooting and defense. The best point guards expected to go in the range of their pick are Washington and Dyson Daniels (G-League Ignite).
The lottery was held in Chicago where the 2022 NBA Draft combine is also taking place this week. The Wizards will watch workouts and interview prospects before hosting players for pre-draft workouts in Washington. They will also attend pro days around the country held by players’ agents.
Unless they trade the pick, this will be the fifth straight year the Wizards have held a first-round selection. Their recent first-round picks include Troy Brown Jr. (2018), Rui Hachimura (2019), Deni Avdija (2020) and Corey Kispert (2021).
The last time the Wizards picked 10th was in 2003 when they took Jarvis Hayes. This is the third time in franchise history they have received the 10th pick.
