THE Portland Trail Blazers will take a third straight shot at securing the top pick in the NBA draft through the lottery process Sunday at 2 p.m. in Chicago.
The Blazers, coming soon represented in the lottery by leader Scoot Hendersonhave a 13.2% chance of getting the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and a 50% chance of being selected in the top four.
This is their reward for finishing the season tied for the third-worst record in the league (21-61). The unfavorable reality is that these chances come in a year where the pool of draft prospects is considered low.
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Still, it’s up to general manager Joe Cronin to make the most of the situation and find that diamond in the rough. The best opportunity to do this is to select at or near the top of the draft.
Here’s a look at the Blazers lottery odds by selection:
No. 1: 13.2%
No. 2: 12.8%
#3: 12.3%
Number 4: 11.7%
#5: 6.8%
Number 6: 24.6%
No. 7: 16.4%
No. 8: 2.2%
The Blazers can’t fall further than No. 8. What’s intimidating is that big 24.6% at #6.
The Blazers also own the Golden State Warriors pick, but he is top-four protected. They finished the season with the worst odds of landing the top pick at 0.7%.
The Warriors have a 3.4% chance of finishing in the top four and a 96.6% chance of staying put. If the latter case occurs, their choice would be passed to the Blazers.
Last season, Portland entered the lottery with the fifth-best odds and moved up to third, where they selected Henderson.
The year before, the Blazers had the sixth best odds, but fell to 7th where they selected Shaedon Sharpe.
The franchise views both as cornerstones of its rebuild. They are now looking to bring in another young talent, preferably a striker, which is the team’s most glaring need. Still, expect the Blazers to select the best player available, regardless of position.
This year’s draft lacks coveted prospects at the top. Last season, every team in the lottery was hoping for a chance to land the top pick to draft Victor Wembanyama first overall. He eventually went to the San Antonio Spurs.
The two top prospects in the 2023 draft were forward Paolo Banchero, who went No. 1 to Orlando, and Chet Holmgren, who went second to Oklahoma City.
This year, mock drafts are everywhere, with no clear can’t-miss prospect at the top. According to CBSSports.com last mock draft, the top eight projected choices are as follows:
1. Alex Sarr, center, France.
2. Reed Sheppard, guard, Kentucky.
3. Stephon Castle, guard, Connecticut.
4. Zaccharie Risacher, striker, France
5. Rob Dillingham, point guard, Kentucky.
6. Donovan Clingan, center, Connecticut.
7. Dalton Knecht, guard, Tennessee.
8. Nikola Topic, goalkeeper, Serbia.
That’s two centers and five guards. Two positions that the Blazers will not necessarily need to address in the first round.
But the Blazers’ selection will be decided in the weeks leading up to and during the draft, scheduled for June 26-27. For now, it’s time for Rip City fans to cross their fingers and hope for some luck.
–Aaron Fentress | [email protected] | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)
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