Rockets Tied With Pistons, Spurs For Highest Draft Lottery Odds

The Houston Rockets' dispiriting 22-60 record will be rewarded with joint-highest odds at wining the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery along with the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons.

The Houston Rockets have officially finished as the No. 28 overall seed in the NBA, meaning they will have 14 percent odds at winning the No. 1 pick in the 2023 Draft.

The bottom-three seeds in the league -- this year being the Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons -- receive equal 14 percent chances at winning the lottery, with descending odds for each of the worst teams that follow.

This marks the third consecutive season that Houston has finished as a bottom-three team. In 2021 they drafted at No. 2 overall and last season they were awarded the No. 3 selection.

Their chances are as high as anybody's at landing the presumed top horse in the race -- Victor Wembanyama, a 7-4 French center with a never before seen game. 

Wembanyama, 19, plays for Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitan 92 of the LNB Pro A league in his home country of France. According to Forbes, he averaged 21.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.3 blocks this past season with the team.

The numbers tell little about his freakish size and do-it-all ability on the floor. As a center, he displays the handles of a guard, pull-up game from inside and beyond the arc, and on defense, can block jump-shots from afar and recover off of blow-bys for chase down rejections. 

The Rockets are not alone at the top though. The Spurs and Pistons are equally in the hunt. As per the NBA.com, after those three teams the order is as follows: 

Charlotte Hornets (12.5 percent), Portland Trail Blazers (10.5 percent), Orlando Magic (9.0 percent), Washington Wizards (7.5 percent percent), Indiana Pacers (4.5 percent), Utah Jazz (4.5 percent), Dallas Mavericks (4.5 percent).

The final four teams will be determined after the play-in tournament concludes. 

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