Philadelphia 76ers have favorable odds heading into 2018 NBA Draft lottery reveal
By Dan Parzych
If all goes well for the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday during the 2018 NBA Draft lottery, Brett Brown’s team will finally earn that pick from the Los Angeles Lakers.
In a matter of hours, the Philadelphia 76ers and their fans will finally learn whether the Los Angeles Lakers pick was worth the wait, as the 2018 NBA Draft lottery is scheduled for Tuesday night.
Over the years, this time of year has been exciting for the Sixers since their horrendous records always resulted in high draft picks, and even though they’re coming off an impressive playoff run, Tuesday could still end up being a magical night.
For the Philadelphia fans that have desperately been waiting to finally take advantage of that Los Angeles first-round pick from a trade many years ago, this could be the draft in which it finally takes place.
Related Story: 3 reasons to take LeBron James to Sixers rumors seriously
Thanks to the Lakers finishing with a 37-45 record this season, the Sixers actually have a good chance of finally landing the team’s first-round pick, although nothing is guaranteed.
Due to a trade with the Boston Celtics last year to move up two spots in the draft in order to land Markelle Fultz at No. 1, Philadelphia could miss out on the Los Angeles pick if it happens to fall between 2-5. Luckily, the chances of this happening to the Sixers are slim at the moment, but as previous drafts have proven, anything is possible when it comes to the lottery.
Believe it or not, Philadelphia even has a very small chance of landing the top overall pick, which could be absolutely insane to think about. As for what Sixers fans should be keeping an eye on once the lottery gets underway, well here’s a chart courtesy of Tom Moore with odds to make it easier to follow.
Without question, the most important factor for Philadelphia will be whether that Los Angeles pick falls between 2-5, and go to Boston as a result.
However, if the Sixers do end up getting the Lakers pick this year, this would mean the Celtics end up with the first-round pick of the Sacramento Kings in 2019, which based off their previous records over the years could work wonders.
Either way, Philadelphia has to be thrilled over this first-round pick of Los Angeles finally coming into play after all of these years since there will be plenty of great prospects to consider if they do end up with the selection.
In a way, it’s a little weird seeing the Sixers in the situation they find themselves in since this was a team that went from 10 wins to a 52-30 record during the 2017-18 season, showing this team is finally moving in the right direction.
Next: Grading top NFC East picks in 2018 NFL Draft
Plus, if Boston were to somehow end up getting lucky with the Lakers falling in the 2-5 range, at least Philadelphia would still be in great shape for next year’s Sacramento pick. Watching the Sixers get eliminated by the Celtics may have been crushing, but at least this offseason should be filled with plenty of excitement, whether it’s the draft or going after a big-name superstar.