2015 NBA Draft Lottery: Pre-Event Odds, Top Prospects and Predictions
A day that has been months in the making—or years, for certain franchises—has finally arrived. The 2015 NBA draft lottery is set to decide the order of the first 14 picks in this year's draft and will be pivotal in shaping the futures of many notable teams.
Proud organizations like the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks are very much in the running for the top overall pick after historically bad seasons, but their fate is up to a bunch of pingpong balls that will be selected prior to the lottery show itself. With a couple of marquee big men having separated themselves from the rest of the class, getting the No. 3 or No. 4 pick will be a tough consolation for teams eyeing one of those prospects.
Just hours remain until the lottery takes place at 8:30 p.m. ET, so let's take a look at everything to know along with some top-three predictions.
2015 NBA Draft Lottery Odds
| Minnesota | 16-66 | 250 | 25.00% | 21.51% | 17.77% |
| New York | 17-65 | 199 | 19.90% | 18.81% | 17.12% |
| Philadelphia | 18-64 | 156 | 15.60% | 15.74% | 15.59% |
| L.A. Lakers | 21-61 | 119 | 11.90% | 12.60% | 13.30% |
| Orlando | 25-57 | 88 | 8.80% | 9.66% | 10.68% |
| Sacramento | 29-53 | 63 | 6.30% | 7.10% | 8.12% |
| Denver | 30-52 | 43 | 4.30% | 4.94% | 5.79% |
| Detroit | 32-50 | 28 | 2.80% | 3.26% | 3.89% |
| Charlotte | 33-49 | 17 | 1.70% | 2.00% | 2.41% |
| Miami | 37-45 | 11 | 1.10% | 1.30% | 1.58% |
| Indiana | 38-44 | 8 | 0.80% | 0.95% | 1.15% |
| Utah | 38-44 | 7 | 0.70% | 0.83% | 1.01% |
| Phoenix | 39-43 | 6 | 0.60% | 0.71% | 0.87% |
| Oklahoma City | 45-37 | 5 | 0.50% | 0.59% | 0.73% |
Draft Lottery Viewing Info
Date/Time (ET): 8:30 p.m. Tuesday
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Predictions for Top Prospects
1. Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Kentucky Wildcats
Let's go ahead and get this out of the way—even though the Minnesota Timberwolves have the best odds, there's still a 75 percent chance they won't pick first overall. But if they do, there's only one proper fit.
Among the two elite big men in the class, 19-year-old Karl-Anthony Towns undoubtedly makes the most sense for Minnesota. He can slide in right alongside Nikola Pekovic in the frontcourt while heeding the advice from one legendary Kevin Garnett in his twilight years.
However, not everybody in Towns' family is on board with that, as T.J. Beisner reported:
The New York Knicks just might prefer Towns to Jahlil Okafor if they get their say. But in this scenario, there's no sense in the T-Wolves passing up on an incredible young talent who can fit alongside Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine.
2. New York Knicks: Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke Blue Devils
If Towns is the ideal fit in Minnesota, the same can be said of Okafor landing in the Big Apple.
The New York Knicks are attempting to implement team president Phil Jackson's vaunted triangle offense under head coach Derek Fisher, but they're missing the right pieces—most notably, down low—to execute it. Okafor would be the anchor that the triangle needs, with his refined and polished post game sure to make an immediate impact.
The 19-year-old may not be the best athlete, but the former Duke big man still has the measurables to wreak havoc at the next level—including some huge hands.
Even with Carmelo Anthony returning to full health next season, there are few rosters that need the talent upheaval that the Knicks do. Okafor's arrival would immediately change that.
3. Philadelphia 76ers: D'Angelo Russell, SG, Ohio State Buckeyes
The 76ers' rebuilding process seems to hit the reset button over and over, from their selection of two straight project big men to the midseason trade of Michael Carter-Williams. But they should begin carving out a real picture with this draft.
Nobody would be surprised if the Sixers tripled down on big men, but should they fall out of the top two, 19-year-old D'Angelo Russell is the easy pick. Not only is he more proven than Emmanuel Mudiay, but he is a far superior shooter and has innate ball skills.
Tuesday night could be historical for Philadelphia, even after its initial selection. If the Los Angeles Lakers selection isn't in the top five, the Sixers will snatch their pick, as well, per ESPN Stats and Info:
But even as it stands now, with the Sixers only getting one lottery pick, they should be ecstatic to land a guard capable of leading the way as Philadelphia digs itself out of the league cellar.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
