Tonight’s the NBA Lottery and the Rockets are more than a little involved.
2023 NBA Draft Lottery
Date: Tuesday, May 16
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Top Lottery Picks
It’s really a two-person draft with 7’4” phenom center Victor Wembenyama leading the way as the top prospect and point guard Scoot Henderson the clear number two. If the Rockets fall out of the top two picks, anything is on the table, including trading out of the draft altogether.
Draft Lottery Odds
1. Detroit Pistons: 14 percent
2. Houston Rockets: 14 percent
3. San Antonio Spurs: 14 percent
4. Charlotte Hornets: 12.5 percent
5. Portland Trail Blazers: 10.5 percent
6. Orlando Magic: 9 percent
7. Indiana Pacers: 7.5 percent
8. Washington Wizards: 6 percent
9. Utah Jazz: 4.5 percent
10. Dallas Mavericks: 3 percent
11. Orlando Magic (via Chicago Bulls): 2 percent
12. Oklahoma City Thunder: 1.5 percent
13. Toronto Raptors: 1 percent
14. New Orleans Pelicans: 0.5 percent
How the NBA Draft Lottery Works (From NBA.com)
Fourteen ping-pong balls numbered 1 through 14 will be placed in a lottery machine. There are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are drawn out of 14, without regard to their order of selection. Before the lottery, 1,000 of those 1,001 combinations will be assigned to the 14 participating lottery teams. The lottery machine is manufactured by the Smart Play Company, a leading manufacturer of state lottery machines throughout the United States. Smart Play also weighs, measures and certifies the ping-pong balls before the drawing.
The drawing process occurs in the following manner: All 14 balls are placed in the lottery machine and they are mixed for 20 seconds, and then the first ball is removed. The remaining balls are mixed in the lottery machine for another 10 seconds, and then the second ball is drawn. There is a 10-second mix, and then the third ball is drawn. There is a 10-second mix, and then the fourth ball is drawn. The team that has been assigned that combination will receive the No. 1 pick. The same process is repeated with the same ping-pong balls and lottery machine for the second through fourth picks.
If the same team comes up more than once, the result is discarded and another four-ball combination is selected. Also, if the one unassigned combination is drawn, the result is discarded and the balls are drawn again. The length of time the balls are mixed is monitored by a timekeeper who faces away from the machine and signals the machine operator after the appropriate amount of time has elapsed.