With the dust being settled from the 2023 NBA lottery and the draft right around the corner, there are three clear winners in the lottery.
1. San Antonio Spurs
The first and biggest winner from the 2023 lottery is the San Antonio Spurs. They landed the number one overall pick and will use it to select Victor Wembayama. It has been 26 years since San Antonio landed the top pick, and they used it to select Tim Duncan.
This year, there is another generational big man waiting to begin his career with the Spurs in Wembanayama. He is a generational player and unlike any player that the league has ever seen. He stands at well over seven feet tall and still plays like a guard. He also has some professional basketball experience under his belt after playing in a French pro league rather than going to college.
Scouts are completely in love with the French big man, and no one has yet been able to find a real hole in his game. As long as he is able to remain healthy, there is a very strong chance that he will finish his career as a Hall of Famer, and could completely change the league.
2. Brandon Miller
Brandon Miller is another big winner from the 2023 lottery. Although Miller was ranked as the third-best player in the class, there is a strong chance that he could end up being selected with the second overall pick. The lottery shook out to give the Charlotte Hornets the second overall pick. With the team already having Lamelo Ball, a point guard, as their franchise player, they will likely pass on Scoot Henderson and instead select Miller.
Miller is an elite three-and-d player and has drawn strong comparisons to Paul George. He has the potential to be exactly the player that the Hornets need as they are a team that has struggled on the defensive end. However, there are some concerns with Miller. He greatly struggled through the NCAA Tournament and went on a historic shooting slump. However, this stretch is unlikely to have a big effect on his draft stock, and he still has a good chance of hearing his name called shortly after Wembanyama’s.
3. Portland Trail Blazers
The final biggest winner from the lottery is the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite being projected to end with the 5th overall pick, they made a crucial jump on lottery night that landed them the third pick. They now find themselves in a very interesting spot.
Portland now could use the third pick to select Scoot Henderson and build their new team around a backcourt of Anfernee Simons and Henderson, or they could trade the pick to bring in a star to put beside Damian Lillard. While it may be in the Trail Blazers’ best interest to put an end to the Lillard era, he has stuck with the team through thick and thin, and they may feel obligated to do the same for the face of their franchise.
If you wanna bet on future NBA games we got several payment options for you:
