- Date: Tuesday, May 14th
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Chicago, Illinois
- TV channel: ESPN
- Online streaming: WatchESPN
What is the format for the Draft Lottery?
The NBA Board of Governors approved changes to the lottery system on Sept. 28, 2017 that will be implemented for the 2019 NBA Draft.
Under the revamped format, the NBA Draft Lottery will ensure that the team with the worst record will receive no worse than the fifth pick. Under the pre-2019 system, the team with the worst record would pick no lower than fourth.
The new system will level the odds at the top of the NBA Draft Lottery so that the teams with the three worst regular-season records will each have a 14 percent chance of winning the lottery. In the pre-2019 structure, the top seed had a 25 percent of winning the lottery, the second seed had a 19.9 percent and the third seed had a 15.6 percent.
The odds for the remaining participants in the 14-team lottery will be reduced gradually after the top three. For instance, the difference in lottery odds between the first three seeds (14 percent) and the fourth seed (12.5 percent) will be 1.5 percent. The difference between the fourth seed and the fifth seed (10.5 percent) will be 2 percent, and the difference between the fifth seed and the sixth seed (9 percent) will be 1.5 percent.
After drawings are conducted for the first four picks of the NBA Draft, the other lottery teams will continue to pick in inverse order of their regular-season record.
In an attempt to discourage teams from tanking, the league implemented a new set of lottery odds. Previously, the team with the worst record had a 25 percent chance at getting the top pick. Now, the teams with the three worst records all have an equal 14 percent chance at the top pick. Likewise, the odds were smoothed across the board, giving teams in the middle of the lottery a better chance at moving up into the top-four slots.
Additionally, the team with the worst record used to be guaranteed to receive no worse than the fourth pick. That was because the first three picks were the only ones determined by the lottery. After those picks, the remaining teams were ordered in the inverse of their regular season records. Now, the first four picks will be decided by the lottery draw. Thus, the team with the worst record will receive no worse than the fifth pick.
Who are the top prospects?
There's no question that the best prospect heading into the draft is Duke forward Zion Williamson. The 18-year-old was a viral sensation in his high school days, and became the best player in college basketball in his freshman season. Regardless of which team wins the No. 1 pick, he's expected to be the first player selected.
Beyond that, however, there are plenty of questions. Here are the top five players off the board in the most recent mock draft from CBS Sports' Kyle Boone:
- Zion Williamson -- F, Duke
- RJ Barrett -- F, Duke
- Ja Morant -- G, Murray State
- Coby White -- G, North Carolina
- De'Andre Hunter -- F, Virginia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5p_nM_xrww#t=2m51s
