What you need to know for the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery

Tonight could be a franchise altering evening for one NBA team as the 2017 Draft Lottery goes live from New York.

The 14 non-playoff teams will have a chance, some much better than others, to claim the first overall pick at the NBA Draft in June with a ping-pong ball lottery. Obviously teams who finished lower in the standings will have a better chance to win than teams who finished higher, but everybody (except the Sacramento Kings) will have a shot at No. 1. 

Only the top three picks will be up for grabs via the lottery with the rest to be filled out by the final regular season standings. The second half of the draft order (playoff teams) has already been determined.

You can catch all the action at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT on the TSN Network before the start of Game 2 between the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs.

Let's take a look at who has the best chance at winning the lottery. 

 

Boston Celtics - 25%

The Boston Celtics may be off to the Eastern Conference Finals after a Game 7 victory over the Washington Wizards Monday night, but that doesn't mean they won't have an eye on the lottery. 

In the summer of 2013, the Celtics sent aging stars in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry and D.J. White to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans and first-round picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018. In addition, the Celtics acquired the right to swap first-round picks in 2017. 

The Celtics definitely turned out to be the winners in this trade. 

The Nets were never able to get close to an NBA championship with Pierce and Garnett and are currently in a long rebuilding stage. On the other hand, Boston finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference and could find themselves in the NBA Finals in a couple week with some good play and a little luck against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

To put a cherry on top of everything, the Celtics have the best shot to walk away with tonight's big prize while the Nets already know they're picking 22nd (via Wizards) and 27th (via Celtics). Not great for a team that finished with a league-worst 20-62 record. 

The last team to finish first in a conference and also draft first overall were the 1981-82 Los Angeles Lakers who selected James Worthy. The Celtics have never had the first pick in the common draft era (1966).

 

Phoenix Suns - 19.9%

The Phoenix Suns had a rough season in 2016-17, finishing in last place in the Western Conference with a 24-58 record. Luckily for them, the Suns still own their first-round pick and have the second best chance at winning Tuesday's lottery. 

This will be the seventh straight draft lottery for Phoenix, who hasn’t made the playoff since 2010 when Steve Nash was on the team, and are guaranteed to select in the top five. The Suns have never had a first overall pick, getting as high as second in 1969 (Neal Walk) and Armen Gilliam (1987).

Wherever the Suns end up, general manager Ryan McDonough will look for someone who can complement 20-year-old Devin Booker, who put up great numbers (22.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 3.5 APG) as a sophomore this season. 

 

Los Angeles Lakers - 15.6%

The Lakers' Draft Lottery situation is a little complicated. 

They have a 15.6 per cent of winning it all and a 46.9 per cent chance of picking in the top three, but if they fall out of the top three, LA loses their first-round pick.

Here's why.

Back in 2012, Los Angeles sent a protected pick to the Suns as part of the Steve Nash deal before the Suns sent that same pick to the Philadelphia 76ers as part of a trade in 2015. So if the Lakers slide out of the top three, the 76ers will get their pick.

To make matters worse, the Lakers would also lose their 2019 first-rounder to the Orlando Magic due to the 2012 Dwight Howard trade. 

With Kobe Bryant out of the picture and a new general manager in the fold, LA is a franchise in transition. Losing that first-round pick would be quite a punch to the gut for the new regime. 

 

Philadelphia 76ers - 14.7%

The 76ers are building a pretty good looking team. The only problem is they can't stay healthy.

Philadelphia selected LSU star Ben Simmons first overall in 2016, but he missed his entire rookie season due to an ankle injury. This came on the heels of losing 2014 third-overall pick Joel Embiid for the first two campaigns of his career with a foot injury. The seven-foot centre was finally able to play in 2016-17 and was a dominating force in 31 games played.

If both Simmons and Embiid can stay healthy alongside a little luck at tonight's lottery, the 76ers could really have something going.

Philadelphia owns a 14.7 per cent of winning and will swap picks with the Sacramento Kings if the Kings get a higher pick thanks to a July 2015 trade. 

Remember, Philly will also take LA's first-round pick if LA falls out of the top three. There's a possibility, the 76ers will have both the first and fourth overall picks by the end of the night.

 

Full Lottery Odds

1 - Celtics (via swap with Nets) - 25 %

2 - Suns - 19.9%                            

3 - Lakers (top-3 protected) - 15.6%        

4 - 76ers (can swap with Kings) - 14.7%       

5 - Magic - 8.8%                            

6 - Timberwolves - 5.3%                     

7- Knicks - 5.3%                            

8 - Kings - 0% 

9 - Mavericks - 1.7%                         

10 - Pelicans (top-3 protected) - 1.1%       

11 - Hornets - 0.8%                             

12 - Pistons - 0.7%                           

13 - Nuggets - 0.6%                          

14 - Heat - 0.5%        

 

Top Pick Candidates

 

Lonzo Ball (Point Guard) - UCLA

UCLA freshman Lonzo Ball might not go first overall at the 2017 NBA Draft on June 22nd in Brooklyn, but he will definitely be the most talked about player going in. Lonzo's father, LaVar, made national headlines during this year's March Madness tournament with such comments that his son is better than two-time MVP Stephen Curry and that he could have beaten Michael Jordan in his prime one-on-one. LaVar is always good for a solid quote, but you have to wonder if the outspoken father will cause teams to shy away from Lonzo. Ball is still an immensely talented player and could be a fit with the Lakers if Magic Johnson, the president of basketball operations, can get Mr. Ball under control. 

 

Markelle Fultz (Point Guard) - Washington

Markelle Fultz wasn't able to get Washington into the NCAA tournament this year, but is still a candidate to go first-overall in many mock drafts. The point guard put up 23.2 points and 12.5 assists per game over 25 contests in first and only season of college ball in 2016-17. If Fultz goes first it will mark the second straight year the first overall pick did not play in a March Madness tournament. Ben Simmons did it last year, the first time since 1973.

 

Josh Jackson (Small Forward) - Kansas

The Jayhawks forward put up impressive numbers in 2016-17, averaging 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3 assists over 35 games. He was the first Kansas freshman to average over 15 points and seven rebounds per game. No.1 ranked Kansas made it to the Elite Eight where they fell to the No. 2 Villanova Wildcats. Andrew Wiggins (1st) and Emiid (3rd) were the last Kentucky players to be selected in the top five. 

 

Interesting Numbers