NBA Draft: One final look at the Detroit Pistons Lottery odds

Taking one last look at the Detroit Pistons chances at securing a top pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

After what has felt like an eternity waiting for some meaningful Detroit Pistons news, we finally have some on the horizon. Today we find out where they will make their selection in the 2020 NBA Draft.

In any other season, the Lottery, the Draft, and even the Summer League would have concluded within the last two months. However with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, everything was naturally shifted back.

When the Pistons season ended, they were sitting on a record of 20-46, possessing the fifth best odds at landing the number one overall pick in the Draft at 10.5 percent. The season hiatus (believe it or not) did actually impact Detroit, seeing as they could have used their remaining games to better solidify their position.

The good news here is almost masked as bad news. That being that the Pistons are guaranteed a top nine pick this year. So if they fall, while it won’t be astronomical, it’d still hurt. Here’s a breakdown of their odds with each individual pick:

• Number 1: 10.5 percent
• Number 2: 10.5 percent
• Number 3: 10.5 percent
• Number 4: 10.5 percent
• Number 5: 2.2 percent
• Number 6: 19.6 percent
• Number 7: 26.7 percent
• Number 8: 8.7 percent
• Number 9: 0.6 percent

So while it’s not certain that Detroit will end up with a quality pick, the odds are, at the very least relatively in their favor.

The important thing to note here however is that not once in franchise history have the Pistons ever moved up from their projected position. This could mean their due, or it could mean that we’ll once again be left with disappointment.

As was expected, the NBA Lottery will be held virtually with the newly appointed General Manager Troy Weaver acting as Detroit’s representative. Hopefully his tenure with the Pistons will start off with a bang.

The NBA Draft Lottery will be held on ESPN at 8:30 EST.