Pacers Secure First Single-Digit Pick in 33 Years, President Kevin Pritchard Says 'We Like the Sixth Pick'
CHICAGO — The Pacers are content with their upcoming first-round pick. Following the results of the NBA's annual draft lottery, held Tuesday night in Chicago, the Pacers now know they will make the first selection outside the top five
"It’s easy to get quickly discouraged by moving from fifth to sixth, but there was a chance we could have had eighth, it could have been seventh. So we still have work to do," team president Kevin Pritchard said afterward.
The top five: Magic, Thunder, Rockets, Kings and Pistons. (Click here to see the full results and order)
General manager Chad Buchanan was in the Drawing Room while assistant GM Kelly Krauskopf represented the franchise on stage. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle and scouts were also in attendance Tuesday to see the results.
"In my 15 years with the Pacers, I kind of feel like we’re in a great position," Pritchard said. "We’ve got cap space, we’ve got a good pick, we can do a lot with this pick. We like the sixth pick, we like the fifth pick better, but we like the sixth pick. And historically, when you look at the draft, there’s seven really good players. That’s a blanket statement, but analytics would tell you there’s seven really good players. Now we have to do our job and we have to find a little value.
"The gamut of what we do is wide and wider than I’ve ever seen ever in my time in this league. And I like that because now we get to get on the board and look at every scenario. And there won’t be one, there won’t be two, there might be 50 different things we’ll look up on the board."
The LAST 10 No. 6 selections: Josh Giddey, Onyeka Okongwu, Jarrett Culver, Mo Bamba, Jonathan Isaac, Buddy Hield, Willie-Cauley Stein, Marcus Smart, Nerlens Noel, Damian Lillard.
As well as Larry Bird, Lenny Wilkens, Adrian Dantley and Johnny 'Red' Kerr.
"Everything is on the table, more than ever," Pritchard added.
The draft combine will be held through the end of the week with testing, team interviews and two scrimmages on both Thursday and Friday.
More Pacers Coverage
- PODCAST: Scott Agness is joined by Caitlin Cooper to review last season, discuss team needs. CLICK HERE.
- Watch Tyrese Haliburton give drivers the command to start their engines, then kiss the bricks after riding in two-seater with Mario Andretti prior to the IndyCar Grand Prix. CLICK HERE.
- Chris Durate, assistant coach Ronald Nored spending the week in Mexico to coach at Basketball Without Borders camp. CLICK HERE.
- Pacers hosted six prospects at their first pre-draft workout. CLICK HERE.
Follow Scott Agness on Twitter: @ScottAgness
