The 2023 NBA Draft is the most-anticipated draft since 2003, when the Cleveland Cavaliers selected LeBron James with the No. 1 overall pick. Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 French phenom, is the best prospect to hit the NBA since James, and he’s projected as a generational talent who could change the trajectory of any team that lands the No. 1 pick. Many teams made moves this past offseason and during the regular season to position themselves in favorable spots to land Wembanyama.
Yahoo Sports takes a look at the teams that have the best odds to land the coveted prospect from France, how the draft lottery works and other top prospects in the draft after Wembanyama.
Here’s everything viewers need to know about NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night.
NBA Draft Lottery draw
1. San Antonio Spurs
2. Charlotte Hornets
3. Portland Trail Blazers
4. Houston Rockets
5. Detroit Pistons
6. Orlando Magic
7. Indiana Pacers
8. Washington Wizards
9. Utah Jazz
10. Dallas Mavericks
11. Orlando Magic
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
13. Toronto Raptors
14. New Orleans Pelicans
How the NBA Draft Lottery works
The draft lottery results will be broadcast live with NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum revealing the sealed envelopes, announcing the draft lottery results in descending order. Prior to the broadcast, the actual lottery to determine picks 1 through 4 takes place in a separate room with NBA officials and representatives of participating teams, select media and the accounting firm Ernst & Young, which oversees the drawings.
For the actual lottery, 14 pingpong balls are dropped in a lottery machine while a league representative randomly selects four balls, revealing a four-number combination. There are 1,001 possible combinations with 1,000 of those combinations being assigned to 14 participating lottery teams. If the same team’s combination comes up more than once, the result is discarded and another four-ball combination is drawn.
After the first four picks are determined, the remaining picks are ranked in inverse order, based on win/loss record.
Odds to land the No. 1 pick
The 14 teams that did not make the playoffs have a chance to land the No. 1 pick, depending on their regular-season records. Below are the odds for every team in the draft lottery and how they finished the regular season. The teams with the worst records are seeded at the top of the lottery.
1. Detroit Pistons: 14%, 140 combinations
2. Houston Rockets: 14%, 140 combinations
3. San Antonio Spurs: 14%, 140 combinations
4. Charlotte Hornets: 12.5%, 125 combinations
5. Portland Trail Blazers: 10.5%, 105 combinations
6. Orlando Magic: 9%, 90 combinations
7. Indiana Pacers: 7.5%, 75 combinations
8. Washington Wizards: 6%, 60 combinations
9. Utah Jazz: 4.5%, 45 combinations
10. Dallas Mavericks: 3%, 30 combinations
11. Orlando Magic (via Chicago Bulls): 2%, 20 combinations
12. Oklahoma City Thunder: 1.5%, 15 combinations
13. Toronto Raptors: 1%, 10 combinations
14. New Orleans Pelicans: 0.5%, 5 combinations
Who is Victor Wembanyama?
The 7-foot-4 center is currently playing for the Metropolitans 92 in the French Betclic Élite league where he is leading all players in points (21.8), rebounds (10.3) and blocks (3.1) per game. Wembanyama is comfortable handling the ball like a guard, can shoot it from deep and does things on the court that no other player in the world can do right now. Wembanyama’s NBA comparison is a mixture between Kevin Durant and Rudy Gobert with his shooting mechanics on offense and the way he protects the rim and alters shots on defense.
Other players projected at the top of the NBA Draft
Scoot Henderson
Henderson is a 6-3 point guard who is the best guard in the draft. He spent two seasons with the G League Ignite and dominated the competition at just 19 years old, sometimes going up against players twice his age. Henderson averaged 16.5 points and 6.5 assists per game this past season and went head-to-head with Wembanyama in October when he impressed every NBA team scout and executive in the arena.
Brandon Miller
Miller, a 6-9 wing, was named the SEC Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year during his one season at Alabama. He averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 38.4% from 3-point range on 7 attempts per game. Miller’s on-court intangibles are off the charts with his length, skill set and defensive versatility, but there is a major off-court issue. Both Henderson and Miller are potential picks at No. 2, depending on which team lands that pick Tuesday night.
Amen Thompson
Thompson averaged 16.4 points, 5.9 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game during his final season with Overtime Elite and is one of the most athletic guards in this draft class with his burst in transition and first step on the wing. The 6-7 guard edges out his twin brother, Ausar, as a primary ball-handler and is more fluid in his decision-making when getting downhill.
Ausar Thompson
Ausar is a tenacious defender who can guard all positions on the perimeter and is the best shot-blocking guard in this draft class. Thompson averaged 16.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during the Overtime Elite season, and even though his 3-point jump shot has been an area of development, he showed improvement over his last season with OTE. Ausar is comfortable playing on or off the ball, but is more comfortable on the wing, playing alongside his brother throughout his career.
NBA Draft date, time and location
The NBA Draft will take place June 22 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN from the Barclays Center in New York.
