Boston Celtics win 2017 NBA Draft Lottery
Things are looking up for the Boston Celtics. They are not only headed to the Eastern Conference Finals as the top seed to duke it out with the Cleveland Cavaliers but they also have won the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery and now own the number one pick of the 2017 NBA Draft. This was the pick they got from the Brooklyn Nets back in 2013 when they traded for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. The Nets finished with a league-worst record of 20-62 this season. This is a huge potential piece for the already successfully rebuilding franchise. After their “Big Three” era, where Garnett, Pierce, and Ray Allen brought a championship home to Beantown; they have quickly and smartly made the right moves to return to playoff relevance.
University of Washington’s Markelle Fultz is being christened by many as the consensus top pick, in what is expected to be a very talent-rich draft. Another name that has already been making waves as early as March Madness, is Lonzo Ball of U.C.L.A. He is a big and talented guard, who is a perfect fit in the popular NBA trend of big, multi-talented guards. Should the Celtics pass on Lonzo Ball and indeed go with Fultz, he will likely be picked up by the Los Angeles Lakers who won the second pick in the lottery. They finished 2016-17 with a 25-56 record.
Here is a quick look at the teams with the Top 10 picks in the 2017 NBA Draft:
- Boston Celtics
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Phoenix Suns
- Sacramento Kings
- Orlando Magic
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New York Knicks
- Dallas Mavericks
- Sacramento Kings
With two picks in the Top 10, the Sacramento Kings have a good opportunity to build a fresh core of players after trading away DeMarcus Cousins mid season. They can either take a young building block or trade one of their picks to another team for an experienced veteran. Either way, the franchise has a lot of options at their disposal come draft day.