The year 2021 has been a big one for Ben Wallace. First, he was nominated to the Hall of Fame. Then, on Tuesday night, he was the lucky charm for his former franchise, the Detroit Pistons, in the NBA's annual draft lottery.
Detroit claimed the top spot in the loaded 2021 NBA Draft, followed by the Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors.
The rest of the top 10 include Orlando; Oklahoma City; The Golden State, which gets its pick of Minnesota; Orlando, which gets its pick of Chicago; Sacramento; and New Orleans.
Charlotte, San Antonio, Indiana and Golden State - with your own picks - complete the lottery's selection. The Magic and Warriors took two picks each in the lottery.
After taking on three players – Killian Hayes (7th), Isaiah Stewart (16th) and Saddiq Bay (19th) in the first round of last year's draft, Detroit will now have the chance to add a high-end talent to their mix. . This would be the Pistons' first top-five selection since they replaced Darko Milichic in 2003, and their third selection in the past 40 years. He finished third overall in 1994 to Grant Hill.
Detroit has made the top overall pick for the first time since he drafted Hall of Fame center Bob Lanier from St. Bonaventure in 1970.
"Obviously, we get to add another Wing player to the restoration process," said Pistons general manager Troy Weaver, who was hired last year to run Detroit's basketball operations. "We're excited to be in this position. But it means we have a lot of work to do, and we're going to be diligent about it. But it always helps to be able to add No. 1. Pick. "
Oklahoma State Guard Cade Cunningham is estimated by many to be the No. 1 overall pick. Sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday night that Cunningham's plan will be to visit only one team before the draft: the Pistons.
After making the playoffs the past eight seasons, the Rockets saw things in an entirely different direction this season after trading James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets for a bevy of draft picks in January. But after finishing with the NBA's worst record, Houston had a bit of luck on Tuesday, giving him a chance to quickly restore his coffers around center Christian Wood with an elite young talent.
Cleveland, after picking fifth over the past two seasons, got a dose of lottery luck this time around. The Cavaliers are expected to break back into the playoff mix in the Eastern Conference next season, choosing to join youth guard Colin Sexton and Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro and center Jarrett Allen.
Cavs general manager Kobe Altman said he thinks this draft has more quality at the top than in years past, adding that "even beyond the top five, there could be potential All-Stars."
It was a miserable season for the Raptors, which saw what had been the most successful stretch in franchise history — seven straight playoff appearances, including the 2019 NBA title — come to a screeching halt. Playing in Tampa, Florida, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Raptors suffered a close loss to begin the season, then a bout of COVID cases between players and coaches as the team found itself under .500. Got it back in the middle. through, sinking back chances in the postseason.
On Tuesday night, however, the Raptors received some reward for that ugly season as they leapfrogged into the top four for a chance to add a premium youngster to a team that is just now under guard from their corps of guard Fred VanVallet and forward Pascal. Ready to win around. Siakam and OG Anunoby.
The Magic moved into rebuilding mode this year, trading Nikola Vusevic to Chicago, Evan Fournier to Boston and Aaron Gordon to Denver. Now, they'll get two cracks to add young talent to their core, thanks to their own selection, the fifth overall pick, and that of the Bulls, which they got as a result of the Vusevic trade when it didn't make it to the top four selections.
No team gained more in this draft than Oklahoma City. The Thunder were the only team to have landed two top-five picks if they received Houston's pick, which would have happened if the Rockets had not advanced to the draft.
Ultimately, Houston got lucky, leaving the Thunder with their own pick - sixth overall - in addition to Boston's 16th overall pick, which they picked up in last week's trade, which saw Al Horford substitute for Kemba Walker. Was sent back to the Celtics, and Miami's 18th overall pick, as they continue to rebuild around rising star guard Shai Gilgius-Alexander.
The Timberwolves knew they would either drop their pick this year - if they finished outside the top three picks - or an unsafe pick next season if they didn't.
They ended up paying off that debt this season, which means Golden State will have two lottery picks this year — the seventh overall pick from Minnesota, as well as their own pick for 14th overall. With center James Wiseman, last year's second overall pick, the Warriors will be hoping to get some players beyond the Golden State's Big Three of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Drummond Green to help build a long-term bridge to the future. can. Or potentially give them the ammunition to upgrade immediately after missing the playoffs over the past two seasons.
Warriors general manager Bob Myers said he believed Curry, Thompson and Green were the two rookies on the roster, citing former Warriors forward Harrison Barnes' contribution as a rookie after being the team's seventh pick in 2012. Will be comfortable with the possibility of connecting.
"I hope they trust that we have an understanding of what we are doing. ... We will look into it. They will be involved. I am sure, they will heed their ideas and we will welcome them, we will always And if it's something that makes sense to them and to us, we'll do it," Myers said. "But again, it depends. You really don't know that, at least business-wise, until it's at least a week, maybe two, from draft, and if we can do that, then We will, and hopefully those people will help us with whom we end up."
Every year, the teams that jump into the top four feel lucky on lottery night. This year, however, that sentiment will only be fueled by the top-end talent available in this draft. Just a month before the July 29 draft, the top four players available unanimously are, in no order, Cunningham, Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs, USC big man Evan Mobley and guard Jalen Greene, the inaugural member of the NBA's G League Ignite. program.
The combination of that talent, as well as the fact that three of the top eight picks were on hold due to prior trades, made this year's lottery one of the most anticipated in years.
"We'll see everything," Weaver said when asked how many options Detroit would see for the top pick. "We will uncover and eliminate every stone and put ourselves in the best position to make the right choice for the pistons."
Twenty percent of the leaguers found themselves on pins and needles entering Tuesday night's festivities as a result of those prior deals. The Rockets, due to Russell Westbrook's trade with Oklahoma City two years ago, would either keep their choice if it fell into the top four or send the Thunder the fifth pick in the draft after finishing with the worst record in the NBA. . The Bulls, meanwhile, will either retain their picks if they fall into the top four or leave the Orlando Magic a mid-lottery pick after trading for Kendra Vusevic on this year's trading time frame. And the Timberwolves will either keep their pick if it lands in the top three -- or an unsecured pick next year -- because of a Russell trade.
After all, it was Houston, Orlando and Golden State that managed to break things down on Tuesday night. As a result, six teams – Oklahoma City (3), Houston (3), Golden State (2), Orlando (2) and New York (2) – control 12 of the 30 first round matches. year draft.