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While the NBA Playoffs continue on, teams outside the postseason have their eyes on another event: the NBA Draft Lottery. The reason why is a 7-2 French unicorn named Victor Wembanyama.
The hype behind Wembenyama has been immense, as he's possibly the most-hyped NBA prospect since LeBron James entered the league 20 years ago. The ticket to getting such a generational player lies in the draft lottery, and 14 teams still have a shot at him.
Basketball fans will be watching the lottery to find out who gets the first overall pick, and thus the right to draft the French phenom. With that said, here is a quick guide to the lottery, explaining how to watch it, the odds, some of the top prospects and more.
NBA Draft Lottery: How to Watch
The 2023 NBA Draft Lottery will take place in Chicago and air at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 16, on ESPN. It will take place right before the Denver Nuggets host the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Odds and Team Representatives
Of course, not all teams have an equal chance at landing the No. 1 overall pick. The teams with the worst record have better odds, while those who barely missed the playoffs have a much lower chance. With recent changes to the lottery, three teams share the best odds at landing the top pick.
Another key part of the draft lottery is who will be representing each team in attendance. These representatives can be executives, coaches, players and even more outside-the-box options.
Here is a full list of the lottery odds for every team, along with the person representing them:
- Detroit Pistons (17-65): 14.0%, Representative: Pistons legend and advisor Ben Wallace
- Houston Rockets (22-60): 14.0%, Representative: coach Ime Udoka
- San Antonio Spurs (22-60): 14.0%, Representative: managing partner Peter J. Holt
- Charlotte Hornets (27-55): 12.5%, Representative: center Mark Williams
- Portland Trail Blazers (33-49): 10.5%, Representative: former All-Star guard Brandon Roy
- Orlando Magic (34-48): 9.0%, Representative: head coach Jamahl Mosley
- Indiana Pacers (35-47): 6.8%, Representative: All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton
- Washington Wizards (35-47): 6.7%, Representative: head coach Wes Unseld Jr.
- Utah Jazz (37-45): 4.5%, Representative: guard Collin Sexton
- Dallas Mavericks* (38-44): 3.0%, Representative: general manager Nico Harrison
- Chicago Bulls* (40-42): 1.8%, Representative: guard Dalen Terry
- Oklahoma City Thunder (40-42): 1.7%, Representative: Thunder legend and scout Nick Collison
- Toronto Raptors (41-41): 1.0%, Representative: general manager Bobby Webster
- New Orleans Pelicans (42-40); 0.5%, Representative: vice president of basketball operations David Griffin
The lottery odds this year are slightly different than normal due to ties between the Pacers and Wizards, as well as the Bulls and Thunder. Thanks to the Kristaps Porzingis trade in 2019, the Mavericks' pick will go to the New York Knicks if it falls outside the top 10. Additionally, the Bulls' pick will go to the Magic if it is outside the top four as a result of the Nikola Vucevic trade in 2021.
NBA Draft Lottery Process
The actual lottery takes place in a separate room before the program goes live, so what we see is just the results. In 2019, the NBA changed the lottery in several key ways that are still in play today.
First and foremost, the three teams with the worst records now have the same odds to win the top pick at 14.0%, as opposed to previously when they had different odds. Secondly, the lottery determines the top four picks instead of the top three. There are four drawings, the team that wins the first drawing picks first, the team that wins the second drawing picks second and so on. There are a lot more intricacies to the process involving ping pong balls, winning number combinations and more, but this is the basic gist of it.
Last year, the lottery winners from first to fourth were the Magic, Thunder, Rockets and Sacramento Kings. In each of the past three years, a team with a 14.0% chance has won the top overall pick. The last team with lower odds to win it was the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019, who had a 6.0% chance.
Top NBA Draft Prospects
As previously mentioned, Wembanyama is the clear top prospect in this draft. In addition to his massive size, he has the finesse and athleticism to be effective anywhere on the floor. Playing with Metropolitans 92 in France, Wembanyama averaged 21.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game this season. At -20000 odds, he is one of the largest favorites to go No. 1 overall in league history.
While Wembanyama is the clear star of the show, the other top prospects in this draft are no slouches either. The next two players on most big boards are, in some order, Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller.
A 19-year-old guard standing at 6-2, Henderson is currently with G League Ignite. He averaged 16.5 points and 6.3 assists in 19 games this season. Scouting reports praise his athleticism and finishing ability, but also say he needs to work on his jumper.
Meanwhile, Miller is a 6-9 wing who played with the Alabama Crimson Tide. This season, the First-Team All-American averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds on efficient shooting. A poor showing in the NCAA Tournament and off-the-court controversy dulled his shine a bit, but his offensive upside is still superb.
The Thompson Twins (Amen and Ausar) of Overtime Elite will also be prospects to watch in this drat. Here's ClutchPoints' 2023 NBA Draft Big Board 1.0.
