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Nam Y. Huh, Associated Press
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Here we are, Year 4 of the Jazz putting all their tanking hopes into the NBA draft lottery. So, once again, here’s a little refresher on how everything is going to work on Sunday.
Drawing room vs. results broadcast
The actual lottery drawing happens in a separate room shortly before ABC broadcasts the results (1 p.m. MDT). A small number of media (including yours truly), NBA officials and a representative from each lottery team (Austin Ainge for the Utah Jazz) are in the lottery drawing room.
After the results are determined inside the drawing room (which is recorded and later published on NBA.com), the envelopes are then sent to the broadcast stage, where they are revealed on ABC by NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, who opens the envelopes in reverse order (14th to first). On stage for the broadcast is a second representative for each lottery team (Keyonte George for the Jazz).
How the drawing works
There are 14 ping-pong balls, numbered one through 14. With those ping-pong balls, 1,001 combinations are possible when four balls are drawn out of 14 (without regard to order of selection). Prior to the drawing, 1,000 of the 1,001 combinations are assigned to the 14 lottery teams.
All 14 balls are put into the lottery machine and mixed for 20 seconds, and then the first ball is drawn. The remaining balls are mixed for 10 seconds and a second ball is drawn. Again, a 10-second mix, and a third ball is drawn. A final 10-second mix, and the fourth ball is drawn. The team assigned the combination of the four balls drawn gets the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
The balls are put back into the lottery machine and the same process plays out to determine what team gets the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 draft picks. If the same team comes up more than once (or if the one unassigned combination is drawn), the result is discarded and another four-ball combination is drawn.
After the top four picks of the draft are determined through the lottery, the remainder of the top 14 (five through 14) are determined by inverse order of regular-season win percentage. So, the team with the worst record that did not get a top-four pick will have the No. 5 pick, and so on.
Odds and combos
The percentage odds for landing the No. 1 pick that are assigned to each team — which can be found here — are easily translated into how many number combinations are assigned to each team.
The three worst teams by win percentage are given 14% odds at getting the No. 1 pick. That means that each of those teams will be assigned 140 of the 1,000 number combinations that are in play for the lottery. You just have to move the decimal point over.
So, since the Jazz are going in with an 11.5% chance at the No. 1 pick, they will be assigned 115 of the number combinations.
New with the Jazz
From the archives
Extra points
- Utah State’s MJ Collins Jr. and BYU’s Keba Keita in NBA G League Combine (Deseret News)
- Here’s what the next 2 summers of Delta Center renovations will look like (Deseret News)
- NBA’s proposed lottery system makes things worse and doesn’t fix tanking (Deseret News)
Around the league
- Darryn Peterson’s mysterious cramp problem has been solved
- Sixers donate playoff tickets to avoid Knicks fans coming into Philly
- Harden struggles for Cavs, as Pistons take 2-0 lead over Cleveland
Up next
- NBA draft lottery | May 10 | 1 p.m. MDT
- NBA draft | First round | June 23 | 6 p.m. MDT
- NBA draft | Second round | June 24 | 6 p.m. MDT
