The Washington Wizards won the NBA draft lottery Sunday, securing the first overall pick for the first time since 2010. The team's 17-65 record this season, the worst in the league, finally translated into lottery success after three consecutive years of historic losing.
John Wall, the player the Wizards selected first in 2010, represented the franchise at the lottery announcement in Chicago. The win gives Washington a chance to add an immediate impact talent as the club attempts to rebuild around recent acquisitions Trae Young and Anthony Davis.
The Wizards had a 14 percent chance of winning the lottery, tied with Brooklyn and Indiana for the best odds. That translated to roughly a 50-50 shot at either landing a top-four pick or falling to the fifth spot, but the bounce went their way Sunday.
Utah claimed the second pick, Memphis landed third, and Chicago will choose fourth. The Los Angeles Clippers received the fifth selection via a trade with Indiana.
Four Elite Freshman Candidates
The draft class features four frontrunner candidates for the No. 1 spot, each leaving college after a single season. BYU's AJ Dybantsa led the nation in scoring at 25.5 points per game during his lone collegiate campaign. Duke's Cameron Boozer earned AP player of the year honors while averaging 22.5 points and 10.1 rebounds. Kansas' Darryn Peterson averaged 20.2 points across 24 games for the Jayhawks, and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson posted 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds on 58 percent shooting.
All four players attended the lottery announcement. Dybantsa spoke to the surreal moment of potentially hearing his name called first. "Standing here is kind of crazy," he said. "One of these teams is going to be home."
The draft takes place June 23 in New York.
Washington's lottery victory marks the final year of the current format, where the three worst teams each hold a 14 percent chance of winning. Starting next season, a new system is expected to take effect. Under the framework agreed to last month, the three worst teams would see their odds drop to 5.4 percent, while the next seven teams would each hold an 8.1 percent chance. The lottery field would expand from 14 to 16 teams if approved, as anticipated, by the Board of Governors in coming weeks.
Author James Rodriguez: "The Wizards' bottom-feeding finally pays off, but watch whether this lottery success means anything if they can't turn draft capital into wins."
Comments