NBA Draft Lottery: Who Needs No. 1 Pick the Most?

When looking at the teams with even the smallest chance to land the top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, which franchise actually needs it most?

Mar 6, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) drives / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Draft Lottery is set to take place in just over two weeks, as the top of the draft order will be officially set. Although this draft doesn’t have a clear franchise-altering like Victor Wembanyama, there is still tremendous value in landing the No. 1 overall pick. 

There are quite a few franchises that hold at least a slight chance at having the honor of picking first, but the five teams with the best odds include the Detroit Pistons (14%), Washington Wizards (14%), Charlotte Hornets (13.3%), Portland Trail Blazers (13.2%) and San Antonio Spurs (10.5%).

Those five franchises with the best odds to land the top pick are in that situation due to a poor 2023-24 campaign. The lottery odds are in reverse order of the NBA’s league-wide standings, meaning these were the worst teams last season. 

Of these five, which team has the biggest need to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft? There’s no guarantee that means drafting the best player in the class, but at least that franchise controls its own destiny and can choose from the entire pool of prospects. 

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Detroit Pistons

With Cade Cunningham at the helm — playing alongside Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson — the Pistons feel like a team that simply need time to develop and mesh. Another top pick would be beneficial, but the foundation is already set in Detroit. 

Washington Wizards

Washington has quite a few interesting complimentary pieces, with players like Deni Avdija, Bilal Coulibaly, Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma among others. With that in mind, this team lacks a face of the franchise and alpha that can carry this team as a top option in the coming years. 

Charlotte Hornets

With LaMelo Ball being an All-Star type of player when healthy, alongside Brandon Miller who appears to have star upside, the Hornets have a duo for the future. Add Miles Bridges and Mark Williams to the equation and it feels like this team needs more veteran talent via free agency and trade than it desperately needs a top overall pick to become competitive. 

Portland Trail Blazers

In theory, the Blazers have several players with star upside. Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons are all on steep trajectories and are good enough to build this team back to being a postseason threat one day. 

San Antonio Spurs

After drafting Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs have one of the brightest futures in the league. As fun as pairing him with another top pick would be, San Antonio is definitely the least desperate of this group in terms of needing the No. 1 overall pick. 

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Conclusion

Given the Wizards are the only team that doesn’t appear to have a player who has a clear path to being a bonafide top option on a playoff team, Washington needs the top pick the most. Again, that doesn’t mean the franchise will land a superstar or a generational talent, but at least having the ability to pick their guy is of extreme value. 

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