A Look At History For Lottery Luck

While everyone has been watching another exciting year of the NBA playoffs, the Sacramento Kings fanbase is getting all too familiar with their postseason tradition–the NBA draft lottery.

The Kings have been in the lottery far too many times lately and have missed on past lottery picks. That is history.

Speaking of history, the Kings are hoping to learn from that in regards to draft selections but they are also looking at history in terms of seeking some lottery luck.

The Kings enter next Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery in the pre-lottery spot of 9th.

Let’s talk numbers and odds now.

The Kings will either select 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, or 13th. Here are their odds for each spot:

1st: 4.5%

2nd: 4.8%

3rd: 5.2%

4th: 5.7%

9th: 46.4%

10th: 29.4%

11th: 3.9%

12th: .1%

13th: A number so small that it is deemed to be the odds are greater than 0 and that’s it.

The best odds are for the Kings to stay at 9 or have one team leap frog them and drop to 10th.

That may not be that promising but all you have to do is look at recent memory to see many examples of teams that have made the same kind of jump that the Kings are looking for.

The best example was in 2014 when the Cleveland Cavaliers jumped from a pre-lottery draft spot of 9th to win the draft lottery and get the number one overall pick. Here are some other examples of good fortune since 2010.

2011: The number 8 pre-draft lottery spot jumped to #1

2013: The number 8 pre-draft lottery spot jumped to #3

2014: The number 9 Cavs jumped to #1

2017: The Kings jumped from 8 to 3 and because of the pick swap, dropped to 5 and picked Fox

2019: The number 8 pre-draft lottery spot jumped to 2, and the number 11 pre draft spot jumped to 4

It can happen and has happened. Whatever your lucky charm is, I suggest you call on it and see if the Kings can land in one of those coveted top 4 spots. If they don’t they need to exactly what they did this

past season when they drafted 12. Select a player that will help your team and make the teams that picked above you question themselves when they didn’t select your player.

Picking Haliburton was a great choice and the Kings need more great choices. Picking higher increases your odds but isn’t surefire.

Wish for some luck, trust your front office, and hopefully soon the draft will be the least thing the Kings need to worry about.

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