NBA Draft Lottery 2023: 2 winners and losers from the event
Now that the NBA draft lottery is over and all the dust has settled, teams from around the league will be doing their due diligence on potential prospects. Regardless of where a team is selecting in the draft, there is always the potential of finding a diamond in the rough; just look at former All-Star Tony Parker as an example.
However, the truth is, the further down the draft your selection is, the harder it becomes to find a genuine difference-maker. This is why so many teams often try to move up the board via trades on draft night. With all this in mind, let's take a look at two winners and two losers from draft night.
Winner #1: The San Antonio Spurs
When you land the No. 1 overall draft pick in a year when a potential generational talent is entering the league, you clearly win the night. The San Antonio Spurs will almost certainly select French phenom Victor Wembanyama with their first overall draft pick. As such, legendary head coach Gregg Popovich will now have the opportunity to work with one of the most highly-rated youngsters in NBA history.
A true seven-footer with handles like Kevin Durant and a three-level scoring profile, Wembanyama projects to be among the best players in the NBA within a few years.
Considering the Spurs have struggled for relevancy since trading away Kawhi Leonard, their fanbase must be ecstatic at the chance to see Wembanyama develop.
Winner #2: The Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets entered the NBA draft lottery expecting to walk away with the fourth overall pick. However, they got lucky and moved up two spots, acquiring the second overall draft pick.
The Charlotte Hornets will now have a tough choice to make. Do they draft Scoot Henderson, who has been widely viewed as the second pick all season, but who'd potentially be a poor fit next to LaMelo Ball? Or do they go for Brandon Miller, who fits the team's needs better but comes with some off-court issues that could be concerning?
Regardless of what they decide, the Charlotte Hornets are in an enviable position and clearly came out of the draft lottery as winners.
Loser #1: The Detroit Pistons
After entering the NBA draft with a 14% chance of obtaining the first overall pick, making them one of only three teams with those odds, the Detroit Pistons fell all the way down to fifth.
After such a steep tumble, the Detroit Pistons will miss out on two players with legitimate star potential: Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson. The Pistons' front office will now need to get creative with their selection as they continue to try and build a contending roster through the draft.
Of course, the Detroit Pistons could choose to trade their pick, but given their current trajectory, that move wouldn't make much sense for their immediate future. Nevertheless, the Pistons still have Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey on their roster, so their future continues to look bright.
Loser #2: The Houston Rockets
Similar to the Detroit Pistons, the Houston Rockets came into the draft lottery expecting to land within the top three, having held a 14% chance of obtaining the first overall pick.
Unfortunately, the Rockets were leapfrogged by both the Portland TrailBlazers and the Charlotte Hornets, tumbling down to fourth as a result. Given the Rockets' desire for a quick return to the Western Conference playoffs, the fourth overall pick will feel like a bitter pill to swallow.
While still holding trade value, the fourth pick in the upcoming draft won't draw enough attention to land a star-level player to pair with new head coach Ime Udoka. As such, the Rockets certainly came away from the draft lottery feeling like one of the losing teams.