{"id":77268,"date":"2024-05-13T10:49:19","date_gmt":"2024-05-13T14:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=77268"},"modified":"2024-05-13T17:21:21","modified_gmt":"2024-05-13T21:21:21","slug":"3-winners-and-losers-of-the-nba-draft-lottery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/13\/3-winners-and-losers-of-the-nba-draft-lottery\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Winners and Losers of the NBA Draft Lottery"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Sunday the NBA Draft Lottery occurred with the draft order officially set we have a much clearer picture of this year’s draft<\/a>. This year’s lottery came with a lot of surprises. Let’s dive into the winners and losers of the lottery.<\/p>\n

3 Winners and Losers of the NBA Draft Lottery<\/h2>\n

Winner #1: Atlanta Hawks<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Hawks getting the No.1 overall pick was the story of the lottery and they are clear winners. Incredibly\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0Hawks got the N0.1 pick despite having just the 10th best odds<\/a> with a 3% chance\u00a0and only a 13.9% chance of jumping into the top four. The Hawks had a 36-46 record and playoff expectations before the season. Notably, this is only the second time with the new lottery format that a team outside of the top four odds earned the No. 1 pick the other being the Pelicans in 2019.\u00a0<\/span>What\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0great about this pick for Atlanta is it gets them plenty of options. At least one\u00a0<\/span>of<\/span>\u00a0Trae Young<\/a> and Dejounte Murray<\/a> will\u00a0<\/span>be traded<\/span>\u00a0this off-season. Getting the No.1 pick\u00a0<\/span>only<\/span>\u00a0cements this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Hawks may fully rebuild and aim to land several draft picks in return for one or\u00a0<\/span>even<\/span>\u00a0both\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0guards.<\/span>\u00a0Alternatively, they could explore pairing one of the guards with another star\u00a0<\/span>perhaps<\/span>\u00a0even a higher-level star. In this scenario\u00a0<\/span>trading<\/span>\u00a0down or trading the pick all together are on the table.\u00a0<\/span>Furthermore<\/span>, if the Hawks\u00a0<\/span>end up keeping<\/span>\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>pick<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>there are plenty<\/span>\u00a0of intriguing prospects\u00a0<\/span>that<\/span>\u00a0fit their needs.<\/span>\u00a0Alex Sarr<\/a> is still the most likely top pick however, the possibilities are truly endless for Atlanta. Ultimately,\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0Hawks getting the top pick made a team stuck in the middle significantly\u00a0<\/span>more interesting<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Winner #2: San Antonio Spurs<\/span><\/h3>\n

After winning the Victor Wembanyama<\/a> sweepstakes at last\u00a0<\/span>year’s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>lottery<\/span>\u00a0the Spurs had another great\u00a0<\/span>lottery<\/span>\u00a0this year.\u00a0<\/span>Whether the Spurs would hold get the\u00a0<\/span>Raptors’<\/span>\u00a0top-six protected pick\u00a0<\/span>was\u00a0<\/span>a key<\/span>\u00a0story heading into the lottery<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0Before the lottery, there was a 54.2% chance the Spurs would receive the Raptors’ pick. Ultimately,\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0Spurs did as the pick fell to eight while their own pick slightly jumped\u00a0<\/span>up<\/span>\u00a0to four. The Spurs are now perfectly positioned to build around Wemby. Getting a guard with playmaking abilities is essential with one of these picks. <\/span><\/p>\n

Rob Dillingham<\/a>, Nikola Topic<\/a>, Stephon Castle<\/a>, and Reed Sheppard<\/a> are all intriguing guard options. The Spurs could even draft two guards to optimize guard play around Wemby. The Spurs targeting a two-way spacing wing is another strong possibility. An intriguing yet somewhat unlikely possibility is the Spurs drafting another big\u00a0<\/span>such<\/span>\u00a0as Donovan Clingan<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>to<\/span>\u00a0pair with Wemby. Trading one of their picks for a win now should be considered with how great\u00a0<\/span>Wemanyama\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0rookie season was. Players such as Trae Young<\/a> have\u00a0<\/span>been linked<\/span>\u00a0with the Spurs\u00a0<\/span>which<\/span>\u00a0is\u00a0<\/span>a very exciting<\/span>\u00a0possibility to accelerate the win-<\/span>now<\/span>\u00a0talent around Wemby. However, this appears to be an unlikely scenario. Regardless, the Spurs are in an ideal position this draft.<\/span><\/p>\n

Winner #3: Houston Rockets<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Rockets lost their own 12th overall pick to the Thunder.\u00a0<\/span>However, Houston still came out as winners because they owned the Nets pick\u00a0<\/span>which<\/span>\u00a0jumped\u00a0<\/span>up<\/span>\u00a0to three.<\/span>\u00a0The Rockets owned this pick as part of the James Harden<\/a> trade\u00a0<\/span>making<\/span>\u00a0the deal look even worse for the Nets retrospectively. Similar to the Hawks\u00a0<\/span>this<\/span>\u00a0gives the Rockets a ton of optionality. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Rockets showed a lot of potential last year and could be a playoff team next year with the right moves. They also have a promising young core highlighted by Alperen Sengun<\/a>, Jalen Green<\/a>, and Amen Thompson<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>This<\/span>\u00a0creates an\u00a0<\/span>interesting<\/span>\u00a0scenario for the Rockets. Do you lean into the youth and draft at the top\u00a0<\/span>or<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>do you<\/span>\u00a0build off your veterans and further accelerate the timeline around Sengun and Green by targeting for a star? Could you trade down and get the best of both worlds? No matter what direction they decide on, the Rockets are\u00a0<\/span>extremely<\/span>\u00a0well-positioned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Loser #1: Detroit Pistons<\/span><\/h3>\n

Despite having the best odds<\/a> and\u00a0<\/span>not being able<\/span>\u00a0to fall past five\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0Pistons fell as far as possible. Making it the third straight\u00a0<\/span>season<\/span>\u00a0the Pistons\u00a0<\/span>fell<\/span>\u00a0to pick-five.\u00a0<\/span>Posting an atrocious 14-68 record and\u00a0<\/span>in year\u00a0<\/span>five<\/span>\u00a0a rebuild urgency<\/span>\u00a0is at an all-time high for the Pistons.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Making<\/span>\u00a0this drop particularly unfortunate. The Pistons desperately need another talented young offensive player and would have loved\u00a0<\/span>to have<\/span>\u00a0more options within the top three<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

After<\/span>\u00a0the lottery\u00a0<\/span>rumors<\/span>\u00a0came out about the Pistons potentially moving on from GM Troy Weaver<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>This<\/span>\u00a0should have already been considered\u00a0<\/span>however<\/span>\u00a0the timing of this report is interesting. Despite how frustrating this drop is for fans and the\u00a0<\/span>organization<\/span>\u00a0it might not be the worst thing in the world. Pick five still gives the Pistons a chance to get a much-needed spacing wing\u00a0<\/span>such as<\/span> Zaccharie Risacher<\/a> or Cody Williams<\/a>. Nevertheless, this is a disappointing outcome for the pistons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Loser #2: Toronto Raptors\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Raptors are perhaps the biggest loser of the lottery.\u00a0<\/span>They<\/span>\u00a0had a 45.8% chance to retain their top six protected pick\u00a0<\/span>but<\/span>\u00a0it ultimately fell to the Spurs at eight. The Raptors are in the early stages of their rebuild and could have desperately used a lottery pick to pair with Scottie Barnes<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>This<\/span>\u00a0all becomes worse when considering the context of the original deal. <\/span>At the 2023 trade deadline, the Raptors traded<\/a> this top-six protected pick in exchange for Jakob Poeltl<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>A move<\/span>\u00a0acceptable for a contender but not a team that was about to enter a rebuild<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The<\/span>\u00a0Raptors still have a first-round pick from the Pascal Siakam<\/a> trade. However, they also questionably traded another first-round pick at the deadline for Kelly Olynyk<\/a>. The only possible positives of this situation are that\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>Raptors’<\/span>\u00a0pick projections to the Spurs\u00a0<\/span>weren\u2019t<\/span>\u00a0delayed<\/span>\u00a0another year\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0they now own their picks until 2030. However, the\u00a0<\/span>Raptors’<\/span>\u00a0rebuilding timeline will be delayed by not having a lottery pick this year.\u00a0<\/span>Ultimately\u00a0<\/span>this<\/span>\u00a0situation\u00a0<\/span>is a result of both<\/span>\u00a0bad management decisions and bad lottery luck.<\/span><\/p>\n

Loser #3: Charlotte Hornets\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Hornets are in a similar position to the Pistons. They were\u00a0<\/span>top<\/span>\u00a0three in odds and fell. In the Hornets case, they fell from the third-best odds<\/a> to the sixth pick. The Hornets have been in a deep rebuild for five-plus years<\/span>\u00a0and posted a record of 21-61 this season.\u00a0<\/span>Charlotte needs another young star. Brandon Miller<\/a> showed tons of promise as a rookie\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0LaMelo Ball<\/a> is great when healthy but has severely struggled with injuries. The Hornets could use a talent upgrade at any position.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A guard<\/span>\u00a0for LaMelo Insurance\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0to pair in the backcourt with him is an intriguing option. Alternatively, they could draft another wing to pair with Miller. All of this is still possible at six\u00a0<\/span>but<\/span>\u00a0the Hornets could have used more options towards the top of their draft, especially considering the\u00a0<\/span>stage of their rebuild<\/span>. Furthermore, the Hornets need to get the sixth pick right which could be challenging in this year’s draft<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Sunday the NBA Draft Lottery occurred with the draft order officially set we have a much clearer picture of this year’s draft. This year’s lottery came with a lot of surprises. Let’s dive into the winners and losers of the lottery. 3 Winners and Losers of the NBA Draft Lottery Winner #1: Atlanta Hawks […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4779,"featured_media":77271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[556,4,1608,7,10,31,62,34,14],"tags":[49040,1015],"class_list":["post-77268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba-draft","category-hawks","category-basketball","category-hornets","category-pistons","category-rockets","category-nba","category-spurs","category-raptors","tag-2024-nba-draft","tag-nba-draft-lottery"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4779"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77268\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}