The 2019 NBA Draft Lottery - Luck Conquers All
On May 14 the annual NBA draft lottery was conducted, and it may go down as the most infamous one of this generation.
The NBA draft lottery is an opportunity for the less talented teams in the league to build their team back up. The worse of a record a team has, the better of a chance they have to “win the lottery” and gain the number one pick in the draft. This year, however, luck was on the side of those who least expected it.
This year’s draft lottery implemented a rule that gave the worst three teams the same odds of obtaining the number one pick. This rule was mostly put into effect to put an end to “tanking”, a method used by many teams to try and help their organization win the lottery. This method consists of teams purposely losing games by using ineffective starting lineups, increasing losses and odds at getting the coveted first pick. Some teams were able to use tanking to their advantage, such as the Philadelphia 76ers, who have thrived with all-stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, who were selected early on in their respective draft classes through the team’s tanking methods. Other teams, such as the New York Knicks, have been unable to piece together any franchise players through tanking.
Going into the 2019 draft lottery, the Knicks, Cavaliers, and Suns all had the same odds of obtaining the first pick in the draft. However, the draft took an unexpected turn early on. The Los Angeles Lakers, who were projected to obtain the 11th pick in the draft, were bumped up into a top four draft pick position after the Minnesota Timberwolves were chosen for the 11th spot. The Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans, who both had only a 6% chance of obtaining the number one pick, were also moved up into a top four pick position after the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks were unluckily chosen for the seventh and eighth. This massive change in draft positions would mean that only one of the three worst teams would be able to obtain a top four pick.
The end of the draft lottery came with a shock to many of those watching. The Knicks clinched a top four spot after Cleveland and Phoenix were selected out of the top four picks. With the Knicks and Lakers now in great position, many assumed that at least one of the teams would obtain the first or second pick due to their giant markets and financial situations. However, both the Lakers and Knicks were selected for the fourth and third, meaning that the two smallest market teams had beaten the odds of the biggest money-making teams in the league. In the end, the Pelicans ended up winning the lottery and obtaining the first pick after the Grizzlies were announced to have the second.
With the Pelicans now in control of the first pick, they are almost 100% confirmed to take Zion Williamson, a generational player with the potential to be just as dominant as LeBron James. Since the lottery, trade rumors have been swirling around the team involving their star power forward Anthony Davis, who has been looking to be traded to a more historic team in order to solidify his legacy. This means that the Pelicans now have the most valuable assets on the trade market, the first pick and Anthony Davis. Although it would be seen as petty and unprofessional by some, Zion could demand a trade from the Pelicans, if drafted by them, if he desires to play for a larger market team, such as the Knicks. The Pelicans could end the draft with Zion Williamson and a slew of young talent and draft picks if they decide to part ways with Davis, or could gain a star player to add with Davis by trading Zion if he chooses to not play for New Orleans. Either way, the Pelicans can come out as the biggest winners of the draft and position their team away from past failures.
The biggest takeaway from this year’s draft lottery isn’t the Pelicans current situation, but rather how they came into this situation in the first place. With the Pelicans defying the odds against the Knicks and Lakers, the lottery has now shown to many that it is legitimate and completely random. The NBA has been accused by a large majority of fans multiple times with rigging the draft lottery in the past, most infamously in the 1985 draft, where the Knicks obtained the number one pick and selected hall of famer Patrick Ewing. With a small market team like the Pelicans and even Grizzlies obtaining the top two picks, it shows how the lottery does not favor the larger marketed teams or rig the results in order to help out certain teams more than others.
The Pelicans winning the draft lottery may also mark the beginning of the end for tanking during the regular season. As only one of the worst three teams were able to secure a top three pick, it may be a foreshadowing of the NBA laying down the foundation for stricter rules against tanking as teams will look to favor luck over intentionally losing games in future draft lotteries.
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