NBA Draft Lottery Odds: Can Rockets Win No. 1 Pick?

The Houston Rockets have hugged the bottom of the Western Conference standings all season long and are hoping for the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft to bring in additional top-tier talent.

The Houston Rockets own the second-worst record in the NBA at 18-56. They've been eliminated from playoff contention for weeks and have their sights fully set on the 2023 NBA Draft. Can the Rockets win the No. 1 overall pick?

Houston are one of only four teams league wide without 30 wins and having eight games left in the regular season, are sure to finish as a bottom-four team. NBA.com released their draft format earlier this season, explaining:

"The 2023 NBA Draft Lottery will be held Tuesday, May 16. ESPN will air the results live at 8 p.m. ET. The 38th annual NBA Draft Lottery will determine the order of selection for the first 14 picks of the 2023 NBA Draft. Drawings will be conducted to determine the first four picks in the NBA Draft. The remainder of the “lottery teams” will select in positions five through 14 in inverse order of their 2022-23 regular-season records."

"Team > Odds for No. 1 Pick

Team 1 > 14.0%, Team 2 > 14.0%, Team 3 >14.0%, Team 4 > 12.5%, Team 5 > 10.5%, Team 6 > 9.0%, Team 7 > 7.5%, Team 8 > 4.5%, Team 9 > 4.5%, Team 10 > 4.5%, Team 11 > 1.8%, Team 12 > 1.7%, Team 13 > 1.0%, Team 14 > 0.5%"

As it stands, the Rockets would own 14 percent odds at winning the lottery along with the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons. They could win out the rest of the way and still be firmly entrenched in top-four positioning.

This year's draft features generational talent at the upper crust, and all qualifying teams are crossing their fingers at the possibility of drafting French phenom Victor Wembanyama. NBA G League Ignite standout Scoot Henderson also projects to be a franchise-altering guard.

Houston have selected in the top-three in the last two drafts and the potential addition of Wembanyama would give them a 7-4 (or so they say) big that can play the four or the five and complement a young nucleus of Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr. 

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