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Mavericks Take Part in 2023 NBA Lottery

NBA Lottery
A general view of the stage prior to the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago, Illinois | Image by Patrick Gorski, USA TODAY Sports

The future home of French basketball star Victor Wembanyama will be determined Tuesday night as the NBA holds its annual draft lottery at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago.

The 7-foot-4 19-year-old has been called the best prospect since LeBron James and has been playing pro basketball since he was 15, spending time with France’s Nanterre 92 and ASVEL of the EuroLeague and winning two silver medals in international play.

“If LeBron James were 18 years old right now, and they were in the same draft, I actually think it’d be a tough decision what you should do,” basketball analyst Jay Bilas said about Wembanyama on The Rich Eisen Show in April. “That’s how transformational this guy’s going to be.”

“He’s a 7’4″ guard, and it’s like looking at a Giannis [Antetokounmpo] that can shoot and handle,” Bilas continued. “He’s next level. None of the stuff you’ve heard is made up. He’s the real deal.”

Wembanyama plays for Metropolitans 92 in France and averages 21.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game. He also set the FIBA single-tournament record for blocks at the 2021 U19 World Cup.

“This is the most highly anticipated player to ever enter the NBA,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said of Wembanyama on the air Tuesday. “Maybe not only the greatest prospect in the NBA’s history but the greatest prospect in the history of team sports.”

The NBA Draft Lottery was introduced in 1985 as a response to blatant tanking by teams ahead of the 1984 NBA Draft. Since then, the league has used the system to determine the order in which the non-playoff teams will pick in the NBA Draft each offseason.

Dallas enters the 2023 lottery with the 10th-best odds (3%) of landing the No.1 overall pick after a 38-44 season, ahead of only the Orlando Magic (with the Chicago Bulls first-round pick), the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Toronto Raptors, and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Dallas has a 65.9% chance of staying at 10th overall, while there is a 19% chance the pick drops to 11. If the Mavericks’ pick falls outside the top 10, it will be sent to the New York Knicks as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade from last February.

There is a 19% chance the Mavericks will end up with a top-four pick.

According to CBS Sports, Dallas has the second-worst draft lottery luck, with a net loss of -12 since the system was introduced and seeing its pick drop by an average of 0.86 spots per lottery appearance.

The three worst teams in the NBA during the 2022-23 season — the Detroit Pistons, the Houston Rockets, and the San Antonio Spurs — each have a 14% chance of landing the No.1 spot. The Charlotte Hornets have the next-best odds at 12.5%, and the Portland Trail Blazers have a 10% chance.

Orlando, Indiana, Washington, and Utah all have a 9% chance or worse of getting the top pick but still have a better chance than Dallas.

Wembanyama is the consensus No.1 player in the 2023 NBA Draft class, followed by G-League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson and Alabama forward Brandon Miller.

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