The NBA Draft Lottery was on Tuesday night and the Cleveland Cavaliers came away with the fifth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Well the Cleveland Cavaliers will not end up with Zion Williamson. This is after the surprising results from Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery. After months of hoping for a top pick Cleveland ended up with the fifth overall pick. Not exactly what was in mind when the front office essentially disassembled the team midseason.
Cleveland, Phoenix and New York all had equal odds at getting a top four pick, but only New York came away with just that, (the Knicks hold the third overall pick in the draft). The Cavaliers had the highest chance of ending up with the fifth pick (27.8) and that is what they got. The disappointing part is that the Grizzlies, Lakers and Pelicans all had lower chances of getting a top three pick than the Cavaliers and they did. This led to some speculation that the lottery was rigged. While this was unlikely to be the case, what everyone learned is that extreme tanking will not necessarily lead to a top pick in the draft.
With Zion Williamson, Ja Morant and R.J. Barrett all expected to be taken before Cleveland’s pick the Cavaliers will have to choose wisely. It will be important to pick a player based on overall talent rather than position. Cleveland is not in position to pass on talented players due to position. Even if the player selected plays a position that is currently occupied by a veteran player, it is not about the outcome of next season. It is about five years from now. Proper team building requires planning for the future and not worrying about immediate impact. While immediate impact is great, it is not the be-all, end-all.
