San Antonio Spurs: Everything you need to know about the 2020 NBA Draft lottery
By Dylan Carter
This isn’t something that San Antonio Spurs fans are accustomed to being part of, so we’ve laid out the details of the 2020 NBA Draft lottery.
A large segment of San Antonio Spurs fans had hoped the team would be bound for the 2020 NBA Draft lottery, but you have to admit — It feels stranger than you thought it might. For hardcore fans, this is an annual event that determines the path of the league’s future. These picks are influential for the next generation of NBA talent and the paths that their careers will take.
For those of you who are out of the loop, the 2020 NBA Draft lottery takes place tonight at 7:30 p.m. CT. It’ll be aired on ESPN between Game Two between the Bucks vs. Magic and Game Two of the Trail Blazers vs. Lakers. This will be the Spurs’ first time in the NBA Draft lottery since they struck gold with Tim Duncan back in 1997.
The Spurs’ odds to jump into the top-four are 9.4 percent with the changes implemented last season. To counteract the league’s trend toward tanking for better draft odds, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made it more likely for teams like the Spurs that are outside of the top-four to jump to the top of the draft board. Two teams jumped in last season: The New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies, changing the course for two superstar rookies in the process.
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Our very own Ethan Farina fleshed out the rest of the Spurs’ draft odds here, but the expectation is that San Antonio picks its projected No. 11 spot. In recent seasons, there have been some very intriguing prospects selected in that range, leaving way for San Antonio to strike gold as one of the best drafting organizations in the NBA.
San Antonio Spurs chairman Peter J. Holt is set to represent the team during the event, which is being held virtually due to concerns surrounding COVID-19. Under normal circumstances, Holt would have flown out to Chicago, IL for the in-person event. However, he’ll be able to participate via conference call from the comfort of his home or Spurs facilities elsewhere.
No matter what the odds say, you can’t help but get excited about having San Antonio pick at its highest selection this millennium. The Spurs’ last four lottery picks were Alvin Robertson, Sean Elliott, David Robinson and Tim Duncan, so the bar is set high. The last time they got a rookie who was drafted this high was in 2011 when the Spurs traded George Hill to the Indiana Pacers for the No. 15 pick, Kawhi Leonard.
Hopefully, the Spurs can repeat some of their previous success in the lottery and the draft itself.