Last season, it was the Sacramento Kings. The year before that, it was the Toronto Raptors. Before them, the Washington Wizards.
Almost every NBA season, a team that picks in the lottery of the most recent draft makes the playoffs. And though the players those teams select aren’t always the biggest catalyst to their success, they do often carve out significant contributing roles.
For the Kings, it was Keegan Murray. For Toronto, it was Scottie Barnes. In Washington, it was Deni Avdija. And those players are just a few of the lottery picks in the last three years to get significant minutes on teams that ultimately made the teams.
So you can almost guarantee it will happen again next season, but which 2023 lottery team is most likely to make that playoff push with the right pick? Let’s get into it.
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1
Dallas Mavericks (No. 10 pick)
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Western Conference odds: +1100 at DraftKings (5th)
Title odds: +2000 (10th)
The Mavericks are only a year removed from reaching the conference finals and still have perennial MVP contender Luka Doncic, so they’re an easy pick to make it back to the playoffs, especially if they’re able to re-sign Kyrie Irving. They don’t need to add a superstar in the draft, just a big or a wing for depth and defense.
2
New Orleans Pelicans (No. 14 pick)
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Western Conference odds: +2000 (8th)
Title odds: +4000 (13th)
New Orleans’ playoff hopes definitely lean on Zion Williamson more than any rookie they draft, but that’s exactly why they need to nail this pick. Depth is especially important for the Pelicans because of the injury history of Williamson and Brandon Ingram. A good pick here can go a long way to helping them weather those issues in the future.
3
Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 12 pick)
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
Western Conference odds: +5000 (11th)
Title odds: +10000 (20th)
OKC made last season’s play-in tournament without No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren ever taking the floor. So there’s a decent chance the Thunder make the playoffs even if they don’t nail this pick. If they do nail it, though, that only strengthens what’s shaping up to be one of the best young rosters in the entire NBA.
4
Indiana Pacers (No. 7 pick)
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Eastern Conference odds: +13000 (12th)
Title odds: +50000 (27th)
Between Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and 2022 lottery pick Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana has a nice foundation to build on. This team was in the playoff conversation for much of last season. One rookie isn’t going to be the reason the Pacers get over the hump, but they’re far from a finished product and the right pick can certainly help.
5
Orlando Magic (No. 6 and No. 11 picks)
Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
Eastern Conference odds: +10000 (11th)
Title odds: +3000 (T-24th)
Orlando finally saw progress in its rebuild with last season’s 34-win campaign, and the pieces are in place to keep that momentum going. Between Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Cole Anthony and other young players, they don’t need much more to start pushing for the playoffs and they get two cracks in this lottery.
6
Utah Jazz (No. 9 pick)
Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Western Conference odds: +13000 (14th)
Title odds: +30000 (T-24th)
The Jazz were surprisingly competitive last season, and though they faded in the end, Lauri Markkanen’s All-Star rise changes the math on their rebuild a little. With better health from someone like Collin Sexton and a few more complimentary pieces, Utah could push for the play-in tournament again.
