NBA Mock Draft 2017: Predictions After Simulated Lottery

The season has ended and the projected NBA draft order has been set. Fans know that is only the beginning of the process as it does not guarantee a particular spot but a bad record increases your odds of landing the number one pick. The Boston Celtics, through the Brooklyn Nets, have a 25 percent chance of landing the top selection. This means even as the team with the most ping-pong balls, there is a 75 percent probability they do not get the number one pick. This is what makes the “tanking” philosophy so volatile is the results are not guaranteed.

Proponents point to the Philadelphia 76ers as tanking gone right, but could just as easily look at the Orlando Magic who have been stuck in neutral thanks in part to some unfortunate luck in the lottery. Over the years, the Magic missed out on players like Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins among others by not winning the lottery. Former GM Rob Hennigan made his fair share of bad moves but there is a chance he could still have his job if the Magic were able to win the NBA lottery in one of his five years as general manager. Instead, the Magic had to fire Hennigan who was never able to turn the corner for a franchise that was in a constant state of rebuilding under his watch. NBA general managers that are looking to rebuild their teams need a combination of great talent evaluation in addition to some good fortune in the lottery to pull off a successful rebuild. For this mock draft, Heavy simulated the lottery , and the Suns were the lucky winners. Meanwhile, the Celtics were not as fortunate dropping all the way down to fourth. Fans can go to Tankathon to see what the order ends up being when you simulate the lottery. Click the arrow on the right side of the page to see Heavy’s latest mock draft with a draft order based on a simulated lottery. (Getty)