NBA Draft Lottery Has Been Sporadic Since Rule Change

We’re just over 24 hours from the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, where teams will find out what selections they’ll have in the upcoming NBA Draft.

And with prospects like Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson and more, it will be a solid draft to have a top pick.

To this point, there’s been no method to the madness in the lottery. Since the rule change on Sept. 28, 2017 there have been four drafts with the updated flattened lottery odds.

The first, the 2019 NBA Draft, was far-and-away the craziest of the bunch. With just six percent chances, the New Orleans Pelicans and the Memphis Grizzlies both skyrocketed to the top two picks, selecting Zion Williamson and Ja Morant, respectively. The Lakers jumped seven spots to No. 4, having just a two percent chance to do so.

The top-six teams in terms of odds all fell, kicking off a wild lottery for the updated rules.

The second year returned to form, somewhat, but still had its fair share of fireworks. The Hornets jumped five spots to grab LaMelo Ball and the Bulls jumped three spots to grab Patrick Williams. Two 14 percent owners — the highest available odds at the top pick — landed in spots one and two.

In the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery, the third year with flattened odds, eight through 14 all stayed locked into position, with the top-seven jumbling ever so slightly. The biggest winner on the night was the Toronto Raptors, who jumped three spots to No. 4 to grab Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes.

The 2022 Lottery was a similar story: teams with odds eight through 14 stayed in their respective positions, with the top seven readjusting and again the seventh team, this time the Kings, jumping to the four-spot.

Will the pattern of normality continue? Are we bound to see another jump? There’s, of course, no way to predict or determine the randomly generated event. For now, teams and fans will sit back, wait with bated breath and hope the ping pong balls fall in their favor.

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