Spurs Lottery odds: What are the chances of landing the No. 1 pick?

The San Antonio Spurs are at home watching the playoffs from afar after the first season of their full-throttle rebuild left them with a 22-60 record and a one-way ticket to an early vacation. While fans became frustrated from watching double-digit losses night in and night out, leaning into the tank offered talented youngsters valuable rotation minutes and set the ball club up for premium positioning in the 2023 NBA Draft.

It is no secret Victor Wembanyama will be the first player to come off the board this year, but the Draft Lottery has yet to determine who will be the lucky winner. Though the Spurs have a 14% chance of bringing the French phenom to the 2-1-0, the Pistons and Rockets are just as likely to see the ping pong balls bounce in their favor since the bottom three teams in the league have equal odds of landing the number one overall pick.

A 14% probability of hitting the jackpot in the Wembanyama sweepstakes may sound negligible, but the Silver and Black are no strangers to having their prayers answered in the NBA Draft. Serendipity favored San Antonio in 1987 and 1997, blessing them with David Robinson and Tim Duncan. How poetic would it be for this franchise to secure another once-in-a-lifetime frontcourt talent who could carry them back to the postseason?

Adding Wembanyama would provide head coach Gregg Popovich and the front office the potential superstar foundation necessary for constructing a legitimate championship-contending roster. The 7-foot-4 teenager has a buttery-smooth shooting stroke, elite rim-protecting instincts, special switchability, and unique mobility. And the Spurs have the cap space and supporting cast to make things interesting if he ends up in Alamo City.

Even if another organization obtains Wembanyama on draft night, several valuable consolation prizes await San Antonio. Scouts have touted Scoot Henderson as the best point guard prospect in decades, Brandon Miller is a sharpshooting combo forward with extraordinary defensive chops, and Amen Thompson has the two-way upside to become a perennial All-Star if he falls into the hands of the right developmental staff.