It’s safe to say that the Charlotte Hornets’ season didn’t go according to plan. lamelo ball He only played 36 matches due to various injuries, while last season’s top scorer Michal Bridges missed the entire year due to legal issues. This dropped the Hornets significantly short of expectations. While they showed signs of life late in the regular season, going 5-5 in their last 10 games, including two wins over the Mavericks that effectively ended their season, they still only won 27 games.
That was good enough (or bad enough) for the fourth worst record in the NBA. Fortunately, their struggles could lead to the Hornets’ first overall pick in this year’s draft. With that being said, let’s examine the odds for the Hornets draft lottery.
The Charlotte Hornets complete the NBA draft lottery prospects
First choice – 12.5%
Second choice – 12.2%
Third choice – 11.9%
Fourth choice – 11.5%
Fifth choice – 7.2%
As you can see, the Hornets have fairly balanced odds of landing each of their top five picks. Even though there is no 52% chance of picking one of the top four spots like the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs, they have a chance of 48.1%. Obviously, this is the best case scenario, but what about the worst case?
Sixth choice – 25.7%
Seventh choice – 16.8%
8th choice – 2.2%
The goal for the Hornets is to end up with the fourth pick or better, and although they have about a 50% chance of doing so, they actually have higher odds of being a worse pick. Even then, it might be worth it to get a good first-choice shot. Charlotte has a 12.5% chance, which is far from guaranteed, but it’s about the same as the Pistons, Rockets, and Spurs, who each have 14% odds of being a top pick.
Overall, the Hornets draft position means there is a lot of variance in terms of results. A good night would see them move into the top three and be in a position to be a future All-Star selection, while a bad night would see them drop in the draft standings. There’s a lot riding on the Hornets’ NBA draft lottery, and a little luck can go a long way.