The NBA Draft brings hope. For some teams, it's the hope that better days are ahead, and for others, it's the hope that success can continue.
There is hope for a No. 1 pick like Victor Wembaneyama in 2023, a No. 13 pick like Donovan Mitchell in 2017, and a No. 3 pick like Luka Doncic in 2018.
The Atlanta Hawks defied the odds and won Sunday's NBA Draft Lottery. They have a 3% chance of getting the No. 1 pick, and the ping pong ball came up with their number. Washington took the No. 2 pick, followed by Houston at No. 3, San Antonio at No. 4, and Detroit at No. 5.
Here are the NBA Draft Lottery winners and losers.
winner
atlanta hawks
A 3% chance isn't a Mega Millions chance, but it's still unlikely. After all, the Hawks have a top-four pick rate of just 13.88%, and only four teams have won the draft lottery at worse odds than Atlanta. This marks the Hawks' first pick since 1975, when they selected David Thompson. Atlanta general manager Landry Fields and his staff have no idea who to pick first in a non-consensus draft, although Frenchman Alex Sarr and Zachary Lizacher are the top two picks in some mock drafts. You need to figure out what you want to do.
san antonio spurs
The San Antonio Spurs have two lottery picks, No. 4 and No. 8. The No. 4 pick came as they finished 22-60 and had a 42.11% chance of getting a top-four pick. The No. 8 pick is from Toronto. The pick was protected within the top six, but with Houston and Atlanta moving into the top four, Toronto was removed from the top six and the pick went to the Spurs. The pick was traded to San Antonio in a deal that sent Jakob Poeltl and Khem Birch from San Antonio to Toronto by the 2023 trade deadline. They could add talent to help the Spurs' generational big man, 2023 No. 1 pick and 2024 Rookie of the Year Victor Wembaneyama.
houston rockets
The Houston Rockets have two first-round picks in 2023 (Armen Thompson at No. 4 and Cam Whittemore at No. 20) and will improve in the 2023-24 season, going 41-41. After finishing the season, they aimed for a postseason appearance for most of the season. They missed out on the postseason and were in the ninth and 12th picks before the lottery. The No. 9 pick was from Brooklyn (as part of the 2021 trade for James Harden) and the No. 12 pick was theirs. Like the Hawks, luck was on the Rockets' side, with a 20.27% chance of making it to the top four along with Brooklyn. However, the Rockets had to give the 12th pick to Oklahoma City because their top four are protected.
oklahoma city thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder have the second-best record in the league, but are hoarding first-round picks. When the Thunder traded Russell Westbrook to Houston in 2019, they acquired a top-four protected 2024 first-round pick from the Rockets. That pick didn't make it into the top four, giving the Thunder the opportunity to acquire the pick and add another high-quality player to a team with a storied history of strong scouting and drafting.
washington wizards
The Washington Wizards had the second-best odds of getting the No. 2 pick, and that's what happened. Team president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins are looking for answers regarding the short- and long-term rosters. Last year, the Wizards drafted forward Bilal Coulibaly (France), who had a solid rookie season averaging 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds, showing he could become a solid two-way player for the Wizards.
loser
detroit pistons
The Detroit Pistons had the worst record in the NBA for the second year in a row and slipped in the draft lottery for the second year in a row. The Pistons had a 50-50 chance of taking the top four pick, but they ended up with the fifth pick. The lack of Wembaneyama in this year's draft makes it a little less painful, and the Pistons can still draft a productive player at No. 5. But in reality, the ping pong ball did not bounce back to the Pistons.
toronto raptors
The Toronto Raptors had to pick the odds to stay on track. That didn't happen when Atlanta and Houston advanced to the top four and the Raptors fell from the top in sixth place. That means the Raptors will give that pick to San Antonio in 2023 as part of the aforementioned Paul Tor trade. Toronto still has that right. First-round pick (No. 19 from Indiana as part of the deal that sent Pascal Siakam from Toronto to the Pacers at the 2024 trade deadline).
charlotte hornets
With new owners (Rick Schnall, Gabe Plotkin), a new vice president of basketball operations (Jeff Peterson), and a new coach (Charles Lee), the Charlotte Hornets have a first-round pick and a first-round pick. had the third highest odds of winning. The probability of getting a top-four pick is 50.28%. Instead, the Hornets look to center around LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, dropping to No. 6.
