NBA lottery winners and losers: Gregg Popovich a big winner ahead of draft

The Victor Wembanyama Sweepstakes 2023 NBA Draft Lottery has come and gone, and the highest of the NBA Draft order is ready.

Now we have a mock draft now that the NBA Draft lottery is over that you may learn right here, however for now, let’s discuss some winners and losers.

Winner: San Antonio Spurs HC Gregg Popovich

The Spurs can’t preserve getting away with this. For the second time of their franchise historical past, the Spurs and Popovich will get to educate a giant man that’s deemed generational. With the Spurs and France already sharing ties with gamers corresponding to Boris Diaw and Tony Parker, Wembanyama and San Antonio really feel like the proper match. Popovich will be capable of coach him up similar to he coached Tim Duncan, and the younger roster will develop round him.

Wembanyama may be headed for the very best spot for his progress in San Antonio. With Pop as his coach, in an space that loves basketball and the Spurs, he ought to turn into a star in San Antonio.

Loser: The Chicago Bulls

With the Bulls landed at No. 11 within the NBA Draft lottery, they don’t even get their choose. That choose goes to the Magic because of the Nikola Vucevic commerce. You’ll suppose that swinging that commerce would result in success for the Bulls, nevertheless it merely hasn’t. One playoff look and an elimination within the play-in is all they’ve to point out for it. As DeMar DeRozan will get older, it’s trying an increasing number of possible that the Bulls might be heading in the direction of a rebuild centered round Zach Lavine, which might’ve been helped by having a choose on this 12 months’s draft. Alas.

Winner: Portland Path Blazers

The Blazers entered the draft lottery with the fifth-highest odds on the primary choose, and an out of doors, albeit small, likelihood of stepping into the highest three.

Effectively, the Blazers soared into the highest three of the draft lottery, leapfrogging Detroit and getting their likelihood at a prime participant within the draft. Portland has many choices right here, and it facilities round the way forward for star PG Damian Lillard. If the Blazers needed to get one other established star to pair with Lillard, they may commerce the third choose for a star participant. Or, they may go within the course of a full rebuild and commerce Lillard for extra picks to attempt to construct across the third choose, Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe.

There are quite a lot of choices right here for the Blazers, and it may very well be a crucial turning level for his or her franchise.

Loser: Portland Path Blazers

I imply, this simply hurts.

Winner: Spurs Followers

Spurs followers appear to be actually enthusiastic about this:

Good for them.

Loser: Houston Rockets followers

Lol. EL OH EL.