For all of the teams who failed to make the postseason, the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday, June 22 has loomed large since the day their season ended. With such a loaded top five, this draft class had plenty of teams playing more for ping pong balls than wins in March and April. Finally, the time is finally here to find out where each team will pick (or if they will keep their pick) in this potentially league-altering event.
NBA draft lottery night draws nigh, and fans of wayward franchises are crossing their fingers for good luck. Who should the basketball gods smile on?
When it comes to power rankings, much of this is subjective. In terms of quantifiable information, we will look at how often the teams involved have moved up and down in lotteries past to determine whether they are due for a reversal in fortunes. We will also look at other subjective factors, like opinions on ownership, front offices and how they have handled the construction of their team.
There will be a few tiers of teams to go over. Some are indifferent, hanging around the fringes of deserving and undeserving. Some of these teams will have very little chance and therefore are not really worth mentioning. Then comes the undeserving. Whether it be far too much lottery success or general mismanagement, not every organization deserves the benefit of Cade Cunningham’s rookie contract. Then we will move into the elite few who are the most deserving.
Let’s start with the least interesting: the middle ground.