In which our focus turns to the NBA’s future, not its present

Davis Rich | Editor-in-Chief

Sorry, guys. I misled you again. A week after speculating that the Hawks would fall to the Wizards and that the Rockets wouldn’t survive a Game Six with the Clippers, both teams have advanced to the conference finals. Houston will match up with Golden State, and Atlanta will face off with Cleveland. In the spirit of not being completely wrong again this week, NBA Pulse will take a break from speculating about the erratic results of the playoffs. Instead, the focus will shift to the draft lottery, which took place Tuesday night. The futures of both prospective draftees and middling franchises are inextricably linked to the fourteen Ping Pong balls in the lottery machine. Ultimately, all the build-up and excitement led to a lottery that saw only one team move up above its lottery slot. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t key story lines to look at. Here’s a look at the winners and losers of the lottery: 

Winners:

Minnesota Timberwolves

In winning the lottery for the first time in franchise history, the Timberwolves are poised to select another franchise centerpiece to complement Andrew Wiggins — likely Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor. Both Towns and Okafor would fit in with the Timberwolves current roster; the incumbent center, Nikola Pekovic is often injured and is coming off his worst NBA season as well. Minnesota is positioned to be able to fill out a watchable starting five next season: Ricky Rubio, Kevin Martin, Andrew Wiggins, Adriean Payne, and likely Towns or Okafor. That’s not to mention solid young bench players in Zach Lavine, Shabazz Muhammad, and Gorgui Dieng. While a number one overall pick won’t launch Minnesota into the playoffs, the upcoming winter won’t be as long or dreary up North.  

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers entered the lottery knowing they could end up without a pick after a 21-61 season, and left assured a shot at another franchise-altering big man, as they will likely be able to draft either Towns or Okafor. A front court of Julius Randle and one of those two rookies is downright terrifying, and combined with first-team All-Rookie Jordan Clarkson, the Lakers have some young talent going for them. Yet just like the Timberwolves, the young bucks in Los Angeles need some grooming and the front office needs to add some ancillary talent in order for the Lakers to return to relevancy. 

Losers: 

New York Knicks:

It doesn’t get better for the Knicks. After struggling through a humbling season in which J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert moved to greener pastures, Carmelo Anthony prioritized the All-Star Game over his team, and Alexey Shved did this, New York ended up with the fourth pick after having the second-worst record in the NBA. The Knicks will likely miss out on the big man they need, having to suffice with a trifecta of Lou Amundson, Andrea Bargnani, and Quincy Acy, among others. The Knicks might be able to pick up Justice Winslow, an athletic two-way player who will bring intensity and buzz back to Knicks basketball.

Philadelphia 76ers

If you come out of the lottery with the third pick, you can’t really consider yourself a loser. But Philadelphia had the chance to earn a record three lottery picks and came away with only one, prolonging their rebuilding process even further. The Sixers would have received Los Angeles’ pick had it fallen out of the top five, and Miami’s had it fallen out of the top ten. The spotlight is now on Sam Hinkie and his process, and the jokes are already piling up. With a healthy frontcourt and a new lottery pick weaved into the fray, Philadelphia should be expected to make improvements this upcoming year.

If you missed it, here’s a look at the order for the draft in June.

1. Timberwolves
2. Lakers
3. Sixers
4. Knicks
5. Magic
6. Kings
7. Nuggets
8. Pistons
9. Hornets
10. Heat
11. Pacers
12. Jazz
13. Suns
14. Thunder