Atlanta Hawks: Zion Dream Done, Yet Hope and Options Remain
The Lottery Winners
Pick Four
The Los Angeles Lakers took advantage of slim, yet improved odds under the new system, to draw the fourth pick in the NBA Draft. Under the old system, slot number 11 would have carried a 0.8 percent chance to win the lottery. Instead the Lakers moved up to a top four spot, with a two percent chance to win the jackpot and a 2.8 percent chance to win pick number 4. The extra pick being drawn was obviously critical to the Lakers fortune. The move upward caused the Dallas Mavericks pick that the Atlanta Hawks will receive, to slide down one spot from number nine, to pick ten. Nine was the best possible outcome for Atlanta with that pick.
Pick Three
The New York Knicks have the fortune of selecting number three in the 2019 NBA Draft. They were one of the three teams, Cleveland and Phoenix being the others, that held a 14 percent chance to win the lottery. That is tied for the best possible odds to win under the new lottery system. The new system hurt them, as they would have previously had a 25 percent chance to win the draft lottery by having the NBA’s worse record. Instead the Knicks will select third on the heels of 12.7 percent odds to get that particular pick. They actually had a better opportunity to win the top pick. The Knicks are still in a good situation, as they will have a shot at wing R.J Barrett or point guard Ja Morant. Morant and Barrett are the other two players best thought to have star potential, outside of Zion. Look for the Lakers and Knicks along with possibly the Boston Celtics, to be the finalists in a bidding war for New Orleans Pelicans Superstar Anthony Davis.
Pick Two
The Memphis Grizzlies were the second team to move ahead of the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Draft Lottery. The Grizzlies who had the 8th best odds to win the draft lottery at six percent, instead moved up to the number two pick in the draft. The Grizzlies were awarded the eight spot odds wise, behind the New Orleans Pelicans and ahead of the Dallas Mavericks, in a three team tie breaker. They rode a 6 percent chance to win the lottery and a 6.3 percent chance to pick second, to win the second pick and the chance to choose between Ja Morant and R.J. Barrett. Under the pervious lottery odds, the Grizzlies would have had a 2.8 percent chance to win the lottery. The new system certainly helped them tremendously.