The NBA regular season is over, and for playoff teams, there is still a lot to play for. However, some teams' seasons are officially over, and all their fans have to look forward to is the NBA Draft.
Before the draft, though, comes the NBA Draft Lottery, and with 10 teams being eliminated from postseason contention–and therefore getting a shot at the top pick in the lottery–we now know what teams have what odds for the top pick.
NBA Draft Lottery order
With the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards finishing with the worst records in the NBA, they naturally have the best odds to land the top pick. Here are the current odds for the NBA Draft lottery:
- Detroit Pistons (14% chance to win the lottery)
- Washington Wizards (14%)
- Portland Trail Blazers (13.3%)
- Charlotte Hornets (13.2%)
- San Antonio Spurs (10.5%)
- Toronto Raptors (9%)
- Memphis Grizzlies (7.5%)
- Utah Jazz (6%)
- Houston Rockets (via Nets) (4.5%)
- Atlanta Hawks (3%)
- Chicago Bulls (2%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (via Rockets) (1.5%)
- Sacramento Kings (0.8%)
- Portland Trail Blazers (via Warriors) (0.7%)
*odds are taken from tankathon.com*
Top NBA Draft prospects
While the 2024 NBA Draft class isn't as hyped or talked-about like last year's when the main prize was Victor Wembanyama, there are still a number of talented players who can make waves once they step foot on the league. Here are some of the top 2024 NBA Draft prospects:
- Alexandre Sarr: Perth, C
- Ron Holland: G League Ignite, SF
- Zaccharie Risacher: JL Bourd, SF
- Matas Buzelis: G League Ignite, SF
- Nikola Topic: Red Star, PG
- Rob Dillingham: Kentucky, PG
- Donovan Clingan: UConn, C
- Dalton Knecht: Tennessee, SF
- Stephon Castle: UConn, SG
- Isaiah Collier: USC, PG
- Reed Sheppard: Kentucky, SG
- Cody Williams, Colorado, PF
- Ja'Kobe Walter: Baylor, SG
- Tyler Smith: G League Ignite, PF
NBA Draft storylines
The 2024 NBA Draft class is considered one of the weakest in recent memory, and that will surely make both the draft itself and the lottery very entertaining. Bad teams got the short end of the stick this year, as team's might not be able to draft a franchise-altering player at the top of the draft.
Even the depth in this draft class isn't good. The lack of young and exciting prospects means that a lot of upperclassmen and players that usually wouldn't go in the first round are going to go early this year. Players emerge and become stars from every draft class, though. This year, it just might be harder to predict who that will be.
Still, shooting up the draft lottery and securing the top pick would be big for any team, especially in a draft class like this, because you get your pick of the litter and can take a player that you really think fits your team and has good potential, even if he isn't the top guy on everyone's big board. There isn't a clear-cut consensus number one pick this year, so almost 10 different players are in the running to be the top pick.
The Detroit Pistons were historically bad this season. En route to having the worst record in the NBA, the Pistons underwent the worst losing streak in NBA history. The Washington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers, and Charlotte Hornets weren't much better, though, with Washington even being tied with Detroit for the highest odds to get the top pick.
All four teams have holes all over their roster, but they are set up to improve this offseason through the draft, even if it is weaker than normal. The Pistons have had a logjam at center in recent seasons while being weak on the wing and with the 3-point shot. If they get the first pick, Zaccharie Risacher seems like the perfect fit. Risacher has good size for a wing and is still one of the best shooters in the class.
The Wizards, on the other hand, do have some building blocks at the forward positions, but the team is desperate for a center now that they moved on from Daniel Gafford. Alexandre Sarr is a mobile big with elite rim protection who would fill in perfectly in Washington and give the team a significant boost on the defensive end.
For the Hornets, they've got playmaking in LaMelo Ball, and they have shooting in Brandon Miller. A slasher with star potential like Ron Holland would make for a good pick if they were to get the top choice in the draft. Even the Trail Blazers might have a different idea on who is their top prospect. After taking a guard (Scoot Henderson) early last draft, and by investing in bigs like Deandre Ayton and Robert Willians, a wing with playmaking and scoring ability like Matas Buzelis could make sense.
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