The NBA commenced its annual draft lottery on Tuesday, May 17, breaking the hearts of a select few and elating other fanbases.
This was the fourth lottery that partook using the league’s new rules and odds, a decision that the Board originally approved of Governors in 2017.
Before the implementation, the worst teams in the league had a much more secure chance of landing a top pick and the opportunity to draft a franchise-altering talent.
For example, in the 2018 draft, the league-bottom Phoenix Suns had a 25 percent chance to land the number one overall pick — over five percentage points higher than the next place Memphis Grizzlies. Phoenix also had a 64.2 percent chance to land somewhere within the top three.
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The new lottery rules were designed to flatten out the odds and discourage teams from tanking in the hopes that the league’s competition would stay as pure as possible.
In the new lottery era, the three teams with the worst records would hold an equal 14.5 percent chance to land the number one pick.
The new system has led to some pretty chaotic results, with at least one team each year taking a small jump and, in turn, another team taking a short dive.
