Washington Post

The race to unseat the newly crowned Golden State Warriors begins Thursday, when the NBA will hold the draft at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. While most of the teams picking in the lottery are a long way from title contention, their fans can take solace knowing that the Warriors and their Finals opponent, the Boston Celtics, built their cores through the draft. Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers advanced in the playoffs thanks to homegrown franchise players. “Superteam” dreams come and go, but nothing inspires hope as reliably as the draft. The 2022 class is headlined by three frontcourt players: Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero. Each has a legitimate case to be the first player selected on a night that could feature multiple trades within the first 10 picks. Let’s look at how the lottery might shake out with a quick-hitting mock draft.