Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Draft Lottery: Can Magic Land Top Pick Again?
As the old mantra goes: "if it ain't broke don't fix it."
For the Orlando Magic, that means returning to the NBA Draft Lottery with last year's representation - head coach Jamahl Mosley and Chief Communications Officer Joel Glass.
With Mosley on stage and Glass in attendance last year, Orlando won the lottery and selected eventual Rookie of the Year winner Paolo Banchero.
And while the Magic's odds this time around are slimmer following a 34-48 campaign, it's not impossible by any means.
Take the 1993 Draft Lottery for example.
Following a season where it drafted Shaquille O'Neal No. 1 overall a year prior while finishing 41-41, Orlando entered with the shortest odds to be awarded the first pick.
But despite having the lowest odds (1.52 percent), the Magic's singular ping pong ball was the final standing and was awarded the top pick for the second consecutive year.
The team selected Michigan forward Chris Webber, but quickly traded him to the Golden State Warriors for Penny Hardaway and three future first-round picks.
Orlando's most likely outcome landsw the team in the No. 7 or No. 8 range, posting over 50 percent chance to draft in either of those two spots, but also give the team a 37.2 percent chance to land inside the top-four.
Luckily for Orlando, the team enters the draft with two potential lottery picks following a 2021 trade with the Chicago Bulls.
For the Bulls' selection, it is Orlando's pick outside of the unlikely scenario of falling inside the top-four (8.3 percent, with the most likely scenario being at the No. 12 spot. If this does come to fruition, it would become the Magic's second time selecting twice in the lottery over the past three years.
With the NBA Draft Lottery held on Tuesday, the entire world will have to wait and see who has the opportunity to draft tantalizing in French prospect Victor Wembanyama.
However, the talent doesn't end there, bringing questions to how Orlando should approach this year's draft.
You can follow Riley Sheppard on Twitter @RileyDSheppard.
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