2023 NBA Draft Lottery Date, How It Works, Odds

When is the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery? originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The postseason isn’t the only race NBA teams are trying to win these coming months. 

May will see the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery unfold, where the order of the top 14 picks in the draft will be determined.

The higher a team’s pick, of course, delivers a higher chance to snag potentially one of the NBA’s future stars. Specifically, three teams will have the best shot at landing the No. 1 overall pick in 2023. 

Here’s everything to know about the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery:

What is the NBA Draft Lottery?

The NBA Draft Lottery is a process that determines the top 14 picks of the upcoming draft. 

When the regular season concludes, the 14 teams with the worst records are entered into the lottery ping-pong-ball style with odds based on their respective spot in the standings. The lottery helps sort out which four teams of the 14 get to pick in the top four, while the rest is determined in inverse order by the standings.

Certain picks could defer to other NBA teams depending on if trades or pick swaps had previously been agreed upon. For example, the Chicago Bulls’ 2023 first-rounder is bound to defer to the Orlando Magic, which had been agreed upon in the deal that landed the Windy City Nikola Vucevic. 

The only way Chicago could keep the pick to prevent it from falling into Orlando’s hands is if it finishes anywhere between the first to fourth-worst record by the end of the regular season.

What are the odds for each team in the NBA Draft Lottery?

Here’s how the odds line up for teams’ chances at landing the No. 1 overall pick, with the three teams with the worst regular-season record all having an equal opportunity:

• Team 1 > 14.0%
• Team 2 > 14.0%
• Team 3 > 14.0%
• Team 4 > 12.5%
• Team 5 > 10.5%
• Team 6 > 9.0%
• Team 7 > 7.5%
• Team 8 > 4.5%
• Team 9 > 4.5%
• Team 10 > 4.5%
• Team 11 > 1.8%
• Team 12 > 1.7%
• Team 13 > 1.0%
• Team 14 > 0.5%

When is the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery?

The 2023 NBA Draft Lottery is slated for Tuesday, May 16 at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets. 

Who will be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft?

The general consensus is that 7-foot-5 French basketball phenom Victor Wembanyama, 19, will be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. He possesses an amalgamation of traits never seen before from someone his frame: ball-handling, 3-point shooting, pull-up shooting, lateral speed defensively and, of course, shot blocking, among others.

When is the 2023 NBA Draft?

Wembanyama and others will hope to hear their names called on Thursday, June 22, the date of the 2023 NBA Draft. It will also be held at the Barclays Center.