Where will Victor Wembanyama play next season? Question that will find its answer this Tuesday (2am in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday), in Chicago, during the lottery, draw that will determine the order of passage of the teams during the NBA Draft of June 22. Everything you need to know about this event that will mark the history of French basketball. Moreover, "Wemby" will not be the only French basketball player in the Draft, with Nadir Hifi, Bilal Coulibaly, Rayan Rupert and Sidy Cissoko who will also be on the starting line. But it is with the objective of putting the grapple on the giant Mets 92 that the 14 clubs concerned will dream of the first choice...
To discover
- NBA: schedule and results
- NBA Rankings
Is Wembanyama certain to be selected with the first pick of the NBA Draft?
One thing is certain: the main interested party has little doubt about this. "10 days before I know my future team. It's really a crazy thing, "he slipped on Twitter, May 6, with a touch of provocation. With these words, he expressed his certainty of being selected first on June 22. And this even if the so-called Scoot Henderson still believes in his chances. "I know I'll be the first," he said in mid-April. However, he is the only one to think about it, because at 99.99%, it is "Wemby" who will have this honor, given his status as a mutant, an exceptional technical background at the service of a physique that is no less. Never seen before in terms of profile. A UFO.
Clearly, Wembanyama is right: he will know his future team on Tuesday, it will be the one that draws first in the Draft. "Day by day I realize it a little more but it's only excitement," he said to explain this tweet, after having regaled the 15,000 spectators of Bercy with Boulogne-Levallois. So far, we have not seen a Frenchman selected more than Killian Hayes (Detroit), seventh in 2020. The previous French record-holder? Joakim Noah, called up to ninth by the Bulls in 2007. He is one of the three All Stars of French basketball with Tony Parker and Rudy Gobert, the latter having been selected only in the 28th and 27th picks.
Which teams are involved?
14 franchises are on the starting line, the 14 worst of the season. Over the years, since 1985, the NBA has changed the format of its lottery. Thus, the last one does not automatically draw first and does not even have the best chance of drawing the jackpot. In fact, the bottom three in the regular season standings have a 14% chance of picking first in the Draft, Detroit, Houston and San Antonio. The percentage is then decreasing for Charlotte (12.5%), Portland (10.5%), Orlando (9%), Indiana (6.8%), Washington (6.7%), Utah (4.5%), Dallas (3%), Chicago (1.8%), Oklahoma City (1.7%), Toronto (1%) and New Orleans (0.5%). Obviously, we can always imagine that the winner of the first choice will decide to trade it. Except that no one would want to mess up a "Wemby"...
All the probabilities of the 2023 lottery. NBA
What would be the best pick for Wembanyama?
We can imagine that the tandem that the Frenchman could form with Luka Doncic in Dallas would have everything to reign, and for a long time, on the NBA, but the Mavericks have little chance of getting their hands on it. Lillard/Wembanyama in Portland, it wouldn't be bad either... Sportingly, Wembanyama would also feast on Shai Gilgeous Alexander in the young and brilliant Oklahoma City team, which has even less chance than Dallas to inherit the first pick. In San Antonio, the native of Le Chesnay would have the opportunity to follow in Tony Parker's footsteps and begin his NBA journey under a master, Gregg Popovich.
"Wemby" should fly to the United States with an MVP title in his pocket. FRANCK FIFE / AFP
In Detroit and Orlando, he would have the opportunity to team up with promising young talent. His future lieutenants? Cade Cunningham with the Pistons and Paolo Banchero, last season's rookie, with the Magic. In Houston, there is almost everything to build. But with a cornerstone like the French prodigy, this is not necessarily a problem... The kind of player who could even give wings to Michael Jordan's Hornets. And make "His Airness" want to postpone its project of selling its shares in the club? Wembanyama could also form a tandem of twin towers with Kristaps Porzingis in Washington or Lauri Markkanen in Utah. In short, there is no bad option for a talent of this ilk, knowing that his future team will necessarily build around him, but Dallas and OKC represent the most attractive destinations.
Being chosen in the first row, a guarantee of success?
No. In any case, it is far from automatic. Some first-round picks represent huge flops, such as Anthony Bennett in 2013, Greg Oden in 2007 or Andrea Bargnani, in 2006, not to mention the mythical Kwame Brown (L.A. Lakers) in Washington, in 2001. Without going as far as these extreme cases, we later discover that other players would have deserved this honor. Let's remember that Michael Jordan was only selected third in 1984, behind Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston) and... Sam Bowie (Portland). A priori, the club that will bet its marbles on Victor Wembanyama will not take any risk and should not regret it...
NBA: "No matter where I land, it will be a good place," enthuses Wembanyama
Lottery, how does it work?
We are talking about... ping-pong, probability and machine balls. Each of the 14 teams involved will be assigned a four-digit number of combinations based on their ranking at the end of the regular season. For example, Detroit, San Antonio and Houston will have 140 combinations out of a possible 1001,1001, compared to only five for New Orleans. One of the <> combinations will be declared invalid and will be ignored if drawn.
To be very precise, the draw will take place as follows: the balls will be mixed by the machine for 20 seconds before the first one is drawn, then there will be 10 seconds between each draw. The first four-digit combination will be used to determine the team that will inherit the first pick in the Draft. The maneuver will be repeated for the first four choices. The next ones, from five to 14, will be determined in reverse order in the regular season standings. Note that if the combination of numbers designating the same team is drawn several times, the result is eliminated and the process is repeated. Representatives of the teams involved will not be notified of the draw until the envelopes are opened by Mark Tatum, NBA Deputy Commissioner.
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