The Utah Jazz had awful luck in the NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday afternoon, but things might have been worse.
The Jazz entered the lottery with the expectation of receiving the eighth overall pick in the draft, which was scheduled for late June, but they slid two spots and obtained the tenth pick, which had a 6.75% probability of happening.
The Jazz had a 6.74% chance of earning the third pick and a 6% chance of receiving the first pick.
If the Jazz had fallen to Nos. 11 or 12 (the lowest possible position in the 14-team lottery), they would have had to give the pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the transaction that sent Derrick Favours to OKC in 2021.
Former Jazz coach Quin Snyder and the Atlanta Hawks jumped from the tenth-best odds to the first pick to secure it. The top four teams, determined by the lottery, are the Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs.
This year’s draft is usually regarded as a weak one, with no definite top pick or true superstar talent among the first few picks.