The 2023 NBA Draft is the most anticipated draft since 2003, when the Cleveland Cavaliers selected LeBron James with the no. 1 selected in overall selection. Victor Wembaniama, a 7-foot-4 French phenom, is the best prospect to hit the NBA since James, and he’s projected as a generational talent who could change the trajectory of the San Antonio Spurs, who landed the No. 1 pick on Tuesday. .
NBA Draft Lottery Draw
1. San Antonio Spurs
2. Charlotte Hornets
3. Portland Trail Blazers
4. Houston Rockets
5. Detroit Pistons
6. Orlando Magic
7. Indiana Pacers
8. Washington Wizards
9. Utah Jazz
10. Dallas Mavericks
11. Orlando Magic
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
13. Toronto Raptors
14. New Orleans Pelicans
Who is Victor Vembaniama?
The 7-foot-4 center currently plays for Metropolitan 92 in the French BetClick Elite League, where he leads all players in points (21.8), rebounds (10.3) and blocks (3.1) per game. Vembanyama is comfortable handling the ball like a guard and can shoot it from deep He is now doing things on the court that no other player in the world can do. Wembanyama’s NBA comparison is a mix between Kevin Durant and Rudy Gobert
Other players are at the top of the NBA Draft
Scoot Henderson
Henderson is a 6-3 point guard who is the best guard in the draft. He spent two seasons with the G League Ignite and dominated the competition at age 19, sometimes playing against players twice his age. Henderson averaged 16.5 points and 6.5 assists per game this past season. And went head-to-head with Vembanayama in October, when he impressed every NBA team scout and executive in the arena.
Brandon Miller
Miller, a 6-9 wing, was named SEC Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year in his one season at Alabama. He averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 38.4% from 3-point range on 7 attempts. Miller’s on-court intangibles don’t rank with his length, skill set and defensive versatility, but there is one big off-court problem. Depending on which team lands both Henderson and Miller on Tuesday night, the no. 2 of the possible choices.
Amen Thompson
Thompson averaged 16.4 points, 5.9 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game in his final season with the Overtime Elite and was one of the most athletic guards in this draft class. The 6-7 guard edges out his twin brother, Auser, as the primary ball-handler and is more fluid in his decision-making when it comes down.
Auser Thomson
Auser is a solid defender who can defend all positions on the perimeter and is the best shot-blocking guard in this draft class. Thompson averaged 16.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during his overtime elite season, and while his 3-point jump shot was part of the development, he showed improvement in his final season with OTE. Auser is comfortable playing in or out of the ball, but is more comfortable playing alongside his brother throughout his career.
NBA Draft Date, Time and Location
The NBA Draft will take place on June 22nd at 8pm ET on ESPN from the Barclays Center in New York.
How the NBA Draft Lottery Works
The draft lottery results were broadcast live, with NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum revealing the sealed envelopes and announcing the draft lottery results in descending order. Before the broadcast, the actual lottery to determine picks 1 through 4 took place in a private room with NBA officials and representatives from participating teams, select media and the accounting firm Ernst & Young overseeing the drawings.
For the actual lottery, 14 pingpong balls are dropped into a lottery machine, while a league representative randomly selects four balls and reveals a combination of four numbers. There are 1,001 possible entries, of which 1,000 entries are allocated to the 14 participating lottery groups. If the combination of the same team comes up more than once, the result is discarded and another four-ball combination is drawn.
After the top four selections are decided, the remaining selections are ranked in reverse order based on win/loss record.
Odds of landing the No. 1 pick
The 14 teams that didn’t make the playoffs had a chance to land the No. 1 pick based on their regular season record. Below are each team’s odds in the draft lottery and how they finished the regular season. The teams with the worst records were ranked first in the lottery.
1. Detroit Pistons: 14%, 140 admissions
2. Houston Rockets: 14%, 140 admissions
3. San Antonio Spurs: 14%, 140 admissions
4. Charlotte Hornets: 12.5%, 125 admissions
5. Portland Trail Blazers: 10.5%, 105 admissions
6. Orlando Magic: 9%, 90 combinations
7. Indiana Pacers: 7.5%, 75 admissions
8. Washington Wizards: 6%, 60 combinations
9. Utah Jazz: 4.5%, 45 admissions
10. Dallas Mavericks: 3%, 30 combinations
11. Orlando Magic (via Chicago Bulls): 2%, 20 combinations
12. Oklahoma City Thunder: 1.5%, 15 combinations
13. Toronto Raptors: 1%, 10 combinations
14. New Orleans Pelicans: 0.5%, 5 combinations
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