The NBA Draft lottery Tuesday night was won by the team that tanked the hardest to get there, the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Sixers had the third overall pick in both the 2014 and 2015 drafts, but were finally able to secure the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since 1996, where they drafted Allen Iverson.
Sixers fans were jumping with joy as they learned their team would have the top pick, as shown here at the NBC Sports Arena bar in Philadelphia, courtesy of Andrew Sharp:
PROCESSSSSSSSSSSS pic.twitter.com/VDbpc9uUB5
— Andrew Sharp (@andrewsharp) May 18, 2016
Oh, and Dikembe Mutombo was right.
The Sixers were followed by the Lakers, who had the second-best odds to win the lottery, and the Boston Celtics at No. 3, who received their pick from the Brooklyn Nets and had the third-best odds.
The Sixers will now hope to pick a player that will change their franchise, similar to what Allen Iverson did for them back in ’96. We will be hearing the debate over who the team should take with the top pick between Ben Simmons, the 6’10, 19-year-old from Australia who played his college basketball at LSU, or Brandon Ingram, the lengthy 6’9 forward out of Duke.
The Lakers and new head coach Luke Walton will almost certainly gladly take whoever the Sixers don’t at No. 2. They already have good pieces in place in D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and Jordan Clarkson. The Lakers perhaps had the most to gain tonight by staying in the top two, as they are guaranteed to snag one of the extremely talented forwards, something they absolutely need in their lineup.
For the first time in NBA Draft Lottery history, the team with the worst record will get the 1st overall pick in back-to-back seasons.
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 18, 2016
The Brad Stevens experience in Boston keeps getting better, as the team was able to hold firm at the three-spot thanks to the Brooklyn Nets. The team is coming off of a 48-win season, which was tied for third-best in the Eastern Conference. Many mock drafts have had the Celtics taking either Dragan Bender, a power forward out of Israel, Jaylen Brown, a shooting guard out of Cal, or Kentucky’s Jamal Murray. This could very well change as the draft nears, as the Celtics will undoubtedly look at many different players in this spot, assuming Simmons and Ingram go No. 1 and No. 2.
This will also be a big draft for the Phoenix Suns, who had two picks in the lottery this year at No. 4 and No. 13. They got great value last year in rookie Devin Booker, who was selected with the 13th overall pick, and appears to be a player that will be making a big impact on the court for many years to come. If they’re able to make good on their picks, the turnaround in Phoenix could be quick, and somewhat mirror that of Minnesota’s that is surely bound to happen.
This draft doesn’t appear quite as talented as last year’s was, although that’s certainly a high standard if this first year has been any indication. Teams like the Kings, Bucks, and Jazz will all be hoping to hit on picks, as they all have plenty of talent as they stand, but are perhaps one or two more pieces away from really becoming contenders.
The Raptors, who are playing in the Eastern Conference Finals, have the 9th selection, and will have as an important draft as anybody, especially if they lose DeMar DeRozan in free agency. All in all, this should be a very fun draft.
Here’s your results for the entire lottery:
Round 1
1. Philadelphia 76ers
2. Los Angeles Lakers
3. Boston Celtics (via Brooklyn Nets)
4. Phoenix Suns
5. Minnesota Timberwolves
6. New Orleans Pelicans
7. Denver Nuggets
8. Sacramento Kings
9. Toronto Raptors (via New York Knicks)
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. Orlando Magic
12. Utah Jazz
13. Phoenix Suns (via Washington Wizards)
14. Chicago Bulls
