The NBA draft lottery is designed to grant wishes and dash dreams each year. Occasionally, the basketball gods feel especially mischievous, leading to chaotic results that shock the entire hoops world.
This year’s lottery could produce an extreme version of that outcome. There’s a 1.5 percent chance that the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder walk away with the first overall selection, the latest prize from their 2019 trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Thunder Could Add More Talent
The latest lottery simulator delivered a nightmare scenario for the rest of the Association, with the Oklahoma City Thunder on the clock. The Thunder are potentially steamrolling their way to a second consecutive championship.
They can’t pretend to have pressing needs for anything. That said, their depth could start to take some financial hits soon with Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander all set to start huge-money extensions soon. While this roster more or less has everything, it doesn’t necessarily have someone who can fill the coveted big-wing archetype as easily as the 6’9″ Dybantsa would.
While calling him a need-filler feels a step too far, it’s still easy to envision significant minutes coming his way right from the start. OKC could use more creativity and explosiveness from its support scorers. The 19-year-old swingman supplies both. The Thunder pack a pretty mean scoring punch already, though, so they could also simplify his duties there and allow him to focus on making developmental strides as a defender and decision-maker.
Dybantsa’s Potential Fit with OKC
This destination might be the most restrictive for Dybantsa in terms of what he’d be allowed to do and how often he’d be called upon to do it. It’d also be the one offering the best chance to play meaningful basketball right away, so if winning is important, the overwhelming amount of team success he could experience should cushion the blow from his individual stats being relatively held in check.
Grizzlies Could Find a New Focal Point
The Grizzlies aren’t technically the biggest winner in this simulation, but they might feel like it. They need a new focal point in the worst way. This mock just delivered it with Peterson, who might be a couple of perfect medical reports away from having the perfect prospect profile.
If his availability issues get left behind at Kansas, he’d have only positives to provide Memphis. He is probably the best shotmaker in this draft. He projects to be one of the better defenders in this draft, along with some of the best flashes of creation and finishing.
His medical reports will be must-read materials, but if those check out, there really aren’t any worries here. He could be an electric talent both on and off the ball, and he c
Each year, the NBA draft lottery grants wishes and dashes dreams.