Since you asked (you didn't, but this is a good jumping off point) - I decided to see how the lottery treated various teams since the last odds adjustment.
The team with the worst record has never picked first after the lottery; the best they have done is come in second (twice). That team has also picked fifth three times (the last three years).
Other than 2023, every year one or more teams originally slotted at pick 7 or higher have jumped into the top 4. Four out of the 7 years saw two or more teams originally slotted at 7 or worse pop into the top 4.
The teams most often picking first were the teams originally slotted at 2 and 3 (four of the seven drafts, twice each). Others were originally at positions 7, 10, and 11.
The team originally slated to pick at 7 popped into the top 4 more often than they didn't (four times in vs. three times staying out). The team originally at 8 did almost as well, jumping into the top 4 a total of three times. So, the teams at positions 7 and 8 pre lottery jumped into the top 4 an average of 50% of the time.
The team at 11 has jumped into the top 4 twice.
Last edited:
