As the post-season is nearing its closure, the NBA Drafts are just a month away. But even before that the fans of the knocked out teams will have something to cheer for when the NBA Draft Lottery takes place on June 22 at 8.30 pm EST.
The lottery, which determines the order of the picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, will allow the three bottom-placed teams — Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic — to get a shot at hitting the jackpot and getting the first overall pick.
The current system of the NBA draft lottery was decided in 1990 after decades of rule changes.
Do all the teams participate in the NBA Draft Lottery?
No. Only the 14 teams that did not make the 2021 postseason are eligible for the Lottery.
How does the Lottery system work?
The lottery is quite a simple process unlike what it’s made to be. Only the first four picks will be determined during the lottery and the remainder of the “lottery teams” will select in positions five through 14 in inverse order of their 2020-21 regular-season records.
In the regular seasons, Golden State Warriors had the best record amongst the 14 teams, so if they don’t end with the Top 4 picks, they will pick 14th.
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Fourteen ping-pong balls numbered 1 through 14 will be placed in a lottery machine. There are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are drawn out of 14, without regard to their order of selection. Before the lottery, 1,000 of those 1,001 combinations will be assigned to the 14 participating lottery teams, according to NBA’s official to website.
All 14 balls are placed in the lottery machine and they are mixed for 20 seconds, and then the first ball is removed. The remaining balls are mixed in the lottery machine for another 10 seconds, and then the second ball is drawn and so on till the fourth ball is drawn.
The team that has been assigned that combination will receive the No. 1 pick. The same process is repeated with the same ping-pong balls and lottery machine for the second through fourth picks.
If the same team comes up more than once, the result is discarded and another four-ball combination is selected.
Which teams have the best lottery odds?
The three bottom-placed teams each have 14% odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick and a 52.1% chance of getting any pick in the Top 4.
Meanwhile, if you’re a Golden State Warriors fan then the numbers are against you, as the Steph Curry-led team only has a 0.5% chance of getting the first overall pick.
When and where to watch the NBA Draft Lottery?
The NBA Draft Lottery is set to air at 8:30 PM ET on ESPN. Be sure to tune in because if your team is participating in the lottery, they might get fortunate enough to bag a high pick.
