The NBA is a cold, brutal beast. If you don’t have one or more superstar players, you’re left behind to rot. If you don’t have any, you’re probably the Philadelphia 76ers.
While it can be an ugly world when you’re not in the NBA playoffs, there is always hope in the form of the NBA Draft and free agency. We get to see that up close and personal on Tuesday night, as the league’s Draft Lottery gets underway and we finally learn the exact order to be seen live at the 2015 NBA Draft on June 26th. From there, anything can happen.
The top pick is going to go to who it’s going to. Fate has that figured out, and by the end of tonight, we’ll all know who picks first and who shall follow. But who should it be? Let’s take a look at five teams that were pretty bad during the 2014-15 NBA season and why luck should fall their way:
Philadelphia 76ers
Some have dubbed them the “Tankers” for mailing in season after season, and rightfully so. But the Sixers seem to actually have a plan in play, one that involves stock-piling young talent and high draft picks. They can’t go any higher than number one, and with a 15.6% shot at this year’s top pick, they could be in for a fun night. It’d get even better if the rest of the draft lottery shook out their way, as protected picks by the Lakers and Heat could become Philly’s if their first rounders slide out of the top-five and top-10, respectively. Just like that, the awful 76ers could own three picks inside the first 11 picks.
The odds of the Lakers (82.8%) and Heat (88.9%) holding onto those picks seem pretty good, but it’s fun to think about the dream scenario for the Sixers tonight.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have been rumored to be interested in shopping their first round draft pick, but perhaps if it actually sticks inside the top-five this year, they may think again. They will lose the pick to the aforementioned Sixers if it’s not inside the top-five, but with an 11.9% chance at the top overall selection, they have great odds in securing a high draft pick. Even if it’s not the top pick, the Lakers could do some serious damage with a top-five talent, where guys like Justise Winslow, Stanley Johnson or Emmanuel Mudiay become relevant. Pair that with a healthy Kobe Bryant, Julius Randle and some moves in free agency, and the historic Lakers could come back to life this year.
New York Knicks
Non-Knicks fans are loving the death of the Knickerbockers right now, but it’s pretty obvious the Knicks being as bad as they are isn’t good for the NBA. It’s not good for the Knicks, and it’s just not good for anybody. If you like tradition and the top teams taking each other down, you’re for the Knicks at least climbing their way back up to mediocrity. They can start that if they land the top pick and secure one of the top two big men in this draft. With the second best odds to do so (19.9% chance), we just might see it happen.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota is a very interesting team, as they have the best odds (25%) at snagging the top pick, yet they actually have a lot of talent on their roster right now. They have true foundation pieces in point guard Ricky Rubio and swing man Andrew Wiggins, and landing a mean post presence could push them right back to the brink of the playoffs. That’d be pretty cool considering they just traded away Kevin Love last summer.
Oklahoma City Thunder
We could talk about the Orlando Magic finally getting a big break ever since Dwight Howard left them for dead, the offensively inept Hornets getting a spark or the Pistons getting an important piece to push them back into playoff contention. None of that is as fun as an already stacked Thunder team getting even richer, though. Of the 14 teams in tonight’s NBA Draft Lottery, they have the lowest chance (0.5%) at stealing the top pick. Doing so would be amazing, though, as they could then save a ton of cash at center by drafting the likes of Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns instead of paying up for Enes Kanter.
The Thunder have made a switch at coach and could be saying goodbye to Kevin Durant after this year, but landing a stud post player with the #1 pick could seriously turn things right back around for them.
Ultimately, we’d prefer if the winner of tonight’s lottery was a complete surprise, regardless of who it ends up being. That’d mean no Timberwolves, Sixers, Lakers or Knicks. However, that’s probably what we’re in for. The team with the best odds never wins, though, so we’re ruling out the T’Wolves. Instead, let’s pull for the 76ers to get that sweet trifecta.
Think the Thunder beat the odds, the Sixers get rewarded for tanking or someone else entirely snags the top pick? Tell us in the comments below!
