May 15, 2017
The 2017 NBA Draft is going to be an important one for the Sixers. But only after Tuesday night's NBA Draft Lottery will we know just how important it will be.
The Sixers, who finished with the fourth-worst record this season, could have a pair of top 5 picks. They could also wind up picking seventh (and that's it).
We've written quite a bit about the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery, in part because so many different scenarios are in play, but also because it's difficult to talk about the draft (specifically, who will go where) until after the order is determined.
That will happen on Tuesday, and here's everything you need to know:
WHEN: 8 p.m. | Tuesday, May 16
WHERE: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY)
WATCH: ESPN | STREAM: WatchESPN
The ping-pong balls you'll hear so much about over the next 24 hours only really determine the first three picks of the NBA Draft. Once those teams are selected, the remaining 11 lottery teams will fill picks four through 14 based on where they finished in the regular season.
So, for example, if the lottery plays out as expected, with the Celtics (via Brooklyn), Suns and Lakers all finishing in the top 3, then the Sixers would pick fourth, since they had the fourth-worst record in the league. But, should one or more of those teams fall out of the top three, the Sixers would fall to fifth, sixth or seventh (depending on how many assuming they weren't the team that jumped into the top 3).
Of course, there's more in play for the Sixers than just their lottery results.
The Sixers could wind up with two picks in the lottery (thanks to the Lakers), but that's not all that's on the line Tuesday night. Here's a look at how it could play out:
• If the Lakers pick lands outside the top 3, it will go to the Sixers. There is a 53.1% chance of that happening (more on the odds in a second).
• If the Kings finish ahead of the Sixers in the lottery, Philly will be able to swap picks and move into the more favorable position.
• If neither of those things happen, the Sixers will only have their own pick.
To summarize, the Sixers could finish with: their own pick; or the Kings' pick (via a swap); or their pick and the Lakers pick; or the Lakers pick and the Kings pick.
Here's a look at the full lottery odds, via Tankathon:
That, however, is a little misleading. Because of the potential pick-swap, you have to add the Kings' odds to the Sixers in order to get the real numbers: a 14.7 percent chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick and 45.27 percent chance of landing somewhere in the top three.
And should the Sixers land in one of those three spots, that also means one less spot in which the Lakers will still get to keep their pick. As we already mentioned, there's a greater than 50 percent chance that the Sixers wind up with two picks in the top 10.
Because there are so many different possibilities for the Sixers, and because final results depend on not just where the Sixers finish, but where a pair of other teams finish, here's a great breakdown of the odds for every single scenario on Tuesday:
Hey Sixers fans, I geeked out and computed all the scenarios for the lottery. RT if you wish. pic.twitter.com/IohwNL3Suu
— Dave (@eaglesdiehard) April 13, 2017
Each team will send a representative to New York. For the Sixers, it will be center Joel Embiid – last year, it was head coach Brett Brown. Here's a look at the reps for all 14 teams:
Here are the on-stage participants for the 2017 #NBA draft lottery pic.twitter.com/3yEYS1kkj2
— Michael K-B (@therealmikekb) May 15, 2017
Will Embiid be able to bring the Sixers luck once again?
Follow Matt on Twitter: @matt_mullin
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