NBA Draft Lottery Results 2021: Winners and Losers
The 2021 NBA Draft Lottery was conducted last night in Secaucus, New Jersey. For a second straight year, representatives from each of the 14 teams in the lottery joined the process online as Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum announced the fate of their picks.
The Detroit Pistons ended up winning the first overall pick for the 2021 NBA Draft, while the Houston Rockets received the second pick. The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors won the third and fourth picks respectively.
The rest of the teams were assigned picks based on their performance during the 2020-21 season and you can check the entire draft order for the two rounds here.
2021 NBA Draft Lottery Results: Who were the biggest winners and losers of the event?
Since the NBA changed the lottery odds in 2019 to curb tanking, securing a top pick in the draft has become incredibly tougher. But some teams rode their luck on Tuesday night to secure a top-five pick. Others dropped down the pecking order despite the numbers suggesting otherwise.
Without further ado, let's look at the biggest winners and losers of the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery.
#1 Winner: Detroit Pistons
We begin with the winner of the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery itself. If there's one franchise that could've truly used a break, it's the Detroit Pistons. Given their glorious history, the Pistons have managed just two first-round playoff exits in the last 12 years. But the situation is finally starting to turn.
Winning the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery is monumental for the Pistons, who are likely going to select Cade Cunningham with their pick. But they have the luxury of picking whoever they choose to, based on the fits with their existing crop of talent.
Detroit already has a legitimate wingman in Saddiq Bey, a feisty center in Isaiah Stewart, and a creative passer in Killian Hayes. If they hold on to Jerami Grant and the other three players continue to develop, the Pistons can round out their starting five for the future this year itself.
#2 Loser: Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery with a chance to walk away with two top-five picks. They had a 75% chance of landing in the top five, yet they finished with just the sixth overall pick, despite their commitment to tanking in the second half of the 2020-21 NBA season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had the fourth-best overall odds to win the lottery and could've claimed the Houston Rockets' pick if it fell to number five. Unfortunately, none of the scenarios transpired and OKC will now have the 18th overall pick from the Miami Heat instead. The Thunder also have the 16th pick which they acquired from the Boston Celtics in the Kemba Walker trade.
Given the stockpile of draft stock that the Thunder have, it would be hard to imagine that GM Sam Presti won't try to move up the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery. OKC has six picks this year alone, so they'll definitely look to consolidate them. Having said that, the Thunder would've loved to see their own pick finish higher in the draft order.