NBA Draft Lottery Standouts

Every year, there are always NBA draft lottery standouts. Last night we all learned what the beginning of the NBA draft order will be. Every year the teams that did horrible during the season have one last chance to get a win. But, this win doesn’t take place on a basketball court in front of thousands of screaming fans. The NBA draft lottery stands out to many fans, players and coaches for multiple reasons. Team’s futures could be made, or ruined, just ask the New York Knicks who always have the worst luck in the lottery (except for this year). So what’s the official order? Let’s take a look.

Detroit wins the lottery!

Detroit finally wins something! The Pistons officially have the number one overall pick and are expected to take Cade Cunningham, the point guard from Oklahoma State. Cunningham is the best player in the draft and Detroit would be foolish to pass up on him. For the Pistons, this is huge. A young talented player is joining a team that’s in the middle of rebuilding and in all likelihood, could speed up the process of the rebuild.

Second and third picks

After James Harden forced himself out of Houston to go to the Brooklyn Nets the Rockets season went downhill. Yes the Rockets have John Wall. But just like in Washington, Wall ended up carrying the load for the team which in the NBA today, isn’t good enough. It’s unknown who the Rockets will take with the second pick, but if they were smart they would take a big man.

The third pick will be made by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Of course Cleveland gets a good pick, they always do. Obviously the Cavs still have work to do with surrounding talent around Colin Sexton, but this third pick could help. Maybe it’s time they find a replacement for Kevin Love, or find someone who can in general play along with Sexton and Isaac Okoro, who is coming off of an impressive and underrated rookie season.

Finishing off the top 5

The Toronto Raptors find themselevs in an unfamiliar spot. This season was very forgettable for the Raptors. So now here they are at the fourth pick. They have Fred Van Fleet for years to come. But, they are most likely losing Kyle Lowry. So maybe it’s time to draft his replacement. Regardless, filling to void Lowry most likely is leaving will be a monumental task for Toronto to figure out.

Coming in at the fifth pick we have the Orlando Magic. The Magic right now are in the middle of searching for their next head coach. Orlando will have Markelle Fultz return from injury so that’s a plus. Jonathan Isaac is also coming back. However, Mo Bamba… he’s a bust. The Magic should focus on drafting a center. If Evan Mobley from USC somehow slips to the fifth pick, that should be who Orlando drafts. Orlando also holds the eighth pick.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder own the draft for majority of the decade. Yes, the decade. In this upcoming draft, they have three first round picks (6th, 16th, 18th). The draft capital they have is insane. Without a doubt they easily can move up from any of these picks or even move down in the draft and acquire more picks for the future. The Thunder are the team to pay attention to for the next few years.

Golden State Warriors

Steph Curry put on a show this year almost getting the Warriors to the playoffs. They came up just short in the play-in tournamnet. Golden State has two first round picks (7th and 14th). Klay Thompson is coming back from injury, and obviously Steph Curry is coming off of an MVP finalist season. The Warriors could definitely use some help down low with James Wiseman still developing. The Warriors easily are a threat next season and it’s scary to think that they are going to get some top talent in this incoming draft class to join their roster.

Final Thoughts

So those are the NBA draft lottery standouts. The future is bright for all the teams that landed a top five pick. Both the Thunder and Warriors should improve drastically. Now, basketball fans can enjoy the rest of the NBA playoffs and can start to look forward to the NBA Draft. The NBA Draft takes place July 29th, 2021.

-Matt Burnett (@mattthew_jordan on Twitter)