The Pistons got their lottery luck last year. This year, it was back to normal.
Despite entering Tuesday night’s lottery tied with the Magic and the Rockets for the best odds of landing the No. 1 pick in next month’s NBA Draft, the Pistons fell to No. 5.
The Magic landed the No. 1 pick and the Rockets came in at No. 3.
After finishing third to last in the NBA this season at 23-59, Detroit had a 14 percent chance of winning the first overall pick and a 52.1 percent chance of picking in the top four.
Instead, the Pistons were jumped by the Kings, who entered the lottery with just a 32 percent chance of picking in the top four after finishing seventh to last in the NBA (and seven games ahead of Detroit), and the Thunder, who finished fourth to last in the NBA. Sacramento will pick No. 4 and OKC No. 2.
It's the 15th time in 16 tries that the Pistons have come up empty in the lottery, and the seventh time they've moved down from their position in the standings. Last year was the only time they moved up, from No. 2 to No. 1 before drafting Cade Cunningham first overall.
Still, there will be plenty of talent on the board for Troy Weaver and the Pistons at No. 5. While the consensus top trio of Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero will likely be gone, Iowa forward Keegan Murray and Purdue guard Jaden Ivey could be two intriguing options for Detroit.
ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony projected Murray to the Pistons during Tuesday night's broadcast, calling the 6'8 sophomore who averaged 23.8 points per game and shot almost 40 percent from three last season "an absolute stud."
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker