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THE NBA draft is the official start of the season – but many fans are confused by how it works.

Here’s everything you need to know about each round of the NBA draft.

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How does the NBA draft work?

Every year in June, the NBA draft sees America’s top basketball teams select new players for their squad.

Simply put, teams take turns to choose players eligible for the draft.

The teams with the worst record from the year before get to draft their future stars before those who were successful the year before.

To stop teams deliberately losing to get to pick first, all 14 teams that miss the playoffs are entered into a lottery.

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Of these 14 teams the three worst each have a 14 percent chance of winning the lottery.

After drawings have finished for the first four picks, the remainder of the teams are picked from the lowest position to highest.

Alongside choosing players to join their squad, teams can also swap out draft picks for current players, trades, or money.

How many rounds are in the NBA draft?

There are two rounds in the draft, with each round consisting of 30 picks.

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Each team is allowed one pick per round – but this does not mean that 60 players are necessarily drafted each year, as picks are traded for other bonuses.

How many picks does each team get in the NBA draft?

Each team gets at most two picks each year.

It is every young player’s dream to hear their name called for the draft.

In 2023 the San Antonio Spurs have secured the number one pick, followed by the Charlotte Hornets and the Portland Trail Blazers.

All eyes are on 7’2″ French phenomenon Victor Wembanyama, 19 – who appeared elated by the prospect of joining the Spurs when he watched the NBA Draft Lottery at home in Paris.

In October 2022, NBA legend LeBron James was glowing with praise for Wembanyama, describing him as “an alien”.

He said: “Everybody’s been a unicorn over the last few years, but he’s more like an alien.

“No one has ever seen anyone as tall as he is but as fluid and graceful as he is on the floor.

“He’s for sure a generational talent. Hopefully, he continues to stay healthy. That’s the important thing for him”.

Canadian Shaedon Sharpe, 19, and Sterling “Scoot” Henderson, 19, from Marietta, Georgia, are two other wunderkinds to watch.

Thanks to the complex system, the number of players drafted is different every year – and some teams have the luxury of plenty of draft picks built up over the coming years.

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Here’s the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery order:

• San Antonio Spurs
• Charlotte Hornets
• Portland Trail Blazers
• Houston Rockets
• Detroit Pistons
• Orlando Magic
• Indiana Pacers
• Washington Wizards
• Utah Jazz
• Dallas Mavericks
• Orlando Magic (via Chicago)
• Oklahoma City Thunder
• Toronto Raptors
• New Orleans Pelicans

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