Lonzo Ball is one of the top players in the 2017 NBA Draft. (Getty)
The tanking is about to come to an end as the NBA regular season concludes. While much of the discussion to close the season centers on the playoffs, fans of teams that have had a less than stellar season have been watching the bottom of the standings to see just how far their favorite team can fall.
The NBA Draft is like Christmas morning to fans of struggling teams. This is especially true with players like Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum and De’Aaron Fox all expected to come in and make an immediate impact in the league. Check out Heavy’s latest NBA mock draft with predictions for every lottery team.
A couple things worth watching when looking at the NBA Draft standings. The Lakers will have to send their pick to the Sixers if it falls outside the top three meaning the Sixers could have two top-five picks. The Celtics will swap picks with the Nets and will enter the NBA Draft Lottery with the highest odds to land the top pick. Thanks to some shrewd trades, Boston can make a deep playoff run while also having a chance to win the lottery.
The actual order for the NBA lottery teams will not be determined until the lottery on May 16. The following order are the standings for how things would turn out if the order was determined by record. The simplest way to think about it is the lower teams are in the standings the more ping-pong balls they will have in the lottery.
The remaining first round draft order is determined by each team’s record and the outcome of the playoffs do not impact the order.
Heavy will continue to update this as games become final. The draft standings are courtesy of Tankathon. Teams in bold currently sit in the lottery.
| POS. | TEAM |
| 1 | Celtics (via Nets 20-62) |
| 2 | Suns (24-58) |
| 3 | Lakers (26-56) |
| 4 | Sixers (28-54) |
| 5 | Magic (29-53) |
| 6 | Timberwolves (31-51) |
| 7 | Knicks (31-51) |
| 8 | Kings (32-50) |
| 9 | Mavericks (33-49) |
| 10 | Kings (via Pelicans 34-48) |
| 11 | Hornets (36-46) |
| 12 | Pistons (37-45) |
| 13 | Nuggets (40-42) |
| 14 | Heat (41-41) |
| 15 | Blazers (41-41) |
| 16 | Bulls (41-41) |
| 17 | Bucks (42-40) |
| 18 | Pacers (42-40) |
| 19 | Blazers (via Gizzlies 43-39) |
| 20 | Hawks (43-39) |
| 21 | Thunder (47-35) |
| 22 | Nets (via Wizards 49-33) |
| 23 | Blazers (via Cavs 51-31) |
| 24 | Jazz (51-31) |
| 25 | Raptors |
| 26 | Magic (via Raptors 51-31) |
| 27 | Nets (via Celtics 53-29) |
| 28 | Lakers (via Rockets 55-27) |
| 29 | Spurs (61-21) |
| 30 | Jazz (via Warriors 67-15) |
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NBA Draft 2017: 1st Round Draft Order & Standings After Regular Season