In a few days there will be one of the Draft Lottery most anticipated ever. It will be known, in fact, which team will be drawn to have the choice #1 and as a result will grab Victor Wembanyama.
In a nutshell, each of the teams that did not participate in the playoffs, based on their positioning and record in the recently concluded regular season, has certain odds of having the first pick. For example, this year the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs all have a 14% chance, while the last teams in the lottery, namely the Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans, have a 1% and 0.5% chance, respectively.
In short, bad results affect but then you also need some luck. Lady Luck 30 years ago smiled on Orlando: In 1993, the Magic had only a 1% chance of getting the first pick but were rewarded by the lottery, after also having the #1 the year before. In 1992 they drafted Shaquille O’Neal, in ’93. Chris Webber who, however, was immediately traded for two future picks and Penny Hardway, who was selected at #3 by the Warriors in the same draft.
