Yo, hold onto your hats, folks! It's lottery time again, and you know the Utah Jazz are crossing their fingers for some serious luck.
Last year, they were keeping it cool, staying right where they were in the NBA Draft Lottery. Now, in 2024, they're in the same boat, with their eyes on that top spot. They're coming in as the eighth-highest combo team, giving them a decent 6% shot at snagging that coveted first pick. Last year, they missed out on Victor Wembanyama, who was making waves with some jaw-dropping plays. This time around, the big prize on the table is Alexandre Sarr, another French center, but with some question marks hanging over his head about his NBA future.
So, how's this whole lottery thing work anyway? Well, it's gonna be aired on ABC this Sunday at 1 p.m. MDT, so mark your calendars. But before the big reveal, league big shots and team reps are gonna huddle up in a room, right next to where all the action's going down on TV. They'll be tossing 14 balls into a ping-pong hopper, pulling out four one by one. With over a thousand possible combos, the Jazz are holding onto 60 of 'em. And you know what's good? The higher the numbers drawn, the better it is for the Jazz, pushing them away from the league's basement dwellers and toward some unlikely outcomes. The No. 1 pick winner is picked first behind closed doors, but it's announced to us regular folks last. Plus, since teams can't win multiple times, the Jazz's odds for the second, third, and fourth picks get a little boost.
But here's the thing, there's a chance they might not move up at all. It's a coin toss between staying at No. 8 and slipping to No. 9, with a couple of teams eyeing to leapfrog 'em. And if things really go south, they could kiss that pick goodbye thanks to a trade back in 2021. The odds of that happening? Super slim, like 0.39%. But hey, it's still a nail-biter of a situation.
Now, let's talk history. The Jazz haven't exactly been lottery regulars, given their solid playoff track record. But when they do dip their toes in the lottery pool, it's been a mixed bag. They've held steady, dropped a couple of times, and even scored a higher pick once. The drops stung, like in 2005 when they slipped from No. 5 to No. 6, missing out on some big names. But hey, they turned it around with a bold move for Deron Williams. Then there was 2014, looking all shiny with that No. 4 spot, only to slide down to No. 5. Dante Exum was the pick, and while his time in Utah was rocky, he's making waves elsewhere now.
But it's not all gloom and doom. Back in 2011, they hit the jackpot, jumping from No. 6 to No. 3, nabbing Enes Kanter. Sure, his stint with the Jazz was short-lived, but hey, sometimes you gotta roll the dice and see what you get. And in that draft class? Well, let's just say it wasn't exactly stacked with future stars.
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