PJ Washington, World Wide Wes among NBA Draft lottery representatives

Kentucky might be looking at just one potential lottery selection in the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft, but this week’s lottery draw will have a couple of Wildcat connections.

The NBA announced on Monday the 14 representatives for the NBA Draft Lottery, which is scheduled for Tuesday, May 17 at 8:00 p.m. EST on ESPN in Chicago. Among the people picked to represent their respective franchises are two familiar faces: former Wildcat forward PJ Washington will represent the Charlotte Hornets while good friend of UK head coach John Calipari, William “World Wide Wes” Wesley, will represent the New York Knicks.

Washington was drafted by the Hornets in the 2019 NBA Draft with the 12th overall selection and just finished up his third pro season, all of which have seen him as a regular starter. Wesley, on the other hand, is currently the Executive Vice President and Senior Basketball Advisor for the Knicks, a position he has held since 2020. Previously, Wesley was a major consultant for Creative Artists Agency.

Full list of on-stage representatives for Tuesday night’s NBA Draft lottery: pic.twitter.com/dzvjL2pKU1

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 16, 2022

The NBA Draft lottery is comprised of the 14 teams with the worst record from the previous season. Those teams are then given odds based on where they finished in the rankings, with the worst teams having the best odds. A recent change in the formula shifted some of the probabilities near the top of the lottery to discourage tanking — the three worst teams record-wise from this past season all have a 14 percent chance to snag the No. 1 overall pick.

Kentucky is expected to see just one Wildcat go in the first round of next month’s draft, freshman point guard TyTy Washington, however, he’s not a lock to go in the lottery among the top 14 picks. Most projections have him going anywhere from No. 7 to No. 17.

2022 NBA Draft Lottery representatives

Charlotte Hornets – PJ Washington, Player
Cleveland Cavaliers – Anderson Varejao, Team Ambassador
Detroit Pistons – Richard Hamilton, Pistons Legend
Houston Rockets – Rafael Stone, General Manager
Indiana Pacers – Kelly Krauskopf, Assistant General Manager
New Orleans Pelicans – Swin Cash-Canal; Vice President, Basketball Operations
New York Knicks – William Wesley; Executive Vice President, Senior Basketball Advisor
Oklahoma City Thunder – Nick Collison, Thunder Legend
Orlando Magic – Jeff Weltman, President of Basketball Operations
Portland Trail Blazers – Damian Lillard, Player
Sacramento Kings – Domantas Sabonis, Player
San Antonio Spurs – David Robinson, Spurs Legend and Strategic Partner
Washington Wizards – Wes Unseld Jr., Head Coach

2022 NBA Draft Lottery odds to win No. 1 pick

Houston Rockets (20-62): 14.0%
Orlando Magic (22-60): 14.0%
Detroit Pistons (23-59): 14.0%
Oklahoma City Thunder (24-58): 12.5%
Indiana Pacers (25-57): 10.5%
Portland Trail Blazers (27-55): 9.0%
Sacramento Kings (30-52): 7.5%
Los Angeles Lakers (33-49): 6.0% (will be conveyed to either New Orleans; or to Memphis via New Orleans)
San Antonio Spurs (34-48): 4.5%
Washington Wizards (35-47): 3.0%
New York Knicks (37-45): 2.0%
LA Clippers (42-40): 1.5% (to OKC)
Charlotte Hornets (43-39): 1.0%
Cleveland Cavaliers (44-38): 0.5%