The luck ran out for the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.
A year after winning the NBA Lottery, Detroit looked to be in prime position for a top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft once again.
Pistons fans weren’t being greedy, just hoping for a top 3 spot in Tuesday’s 2022 NBA Draft Lottery.
Instead, Detroit got the No. 5 pick, leaving many fans frustrated.
What will come from this interesting landing spot for the Pistons? Who can Michigan sports bettors target for the pick?
Orlando Magic win NBA Draft Lottery
The lucky winner of the NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night was the Orlando Magic.
Orlando received the lottery honor for the fourth time in history.
Coming into Tuesday’s lottery, there were four teams tied for the best chance to win the top pick: Orlando, Oklahoma City, Houston and Detroit.
Somehow, Detroit ended up in the worst spot of the four teams.
Here’s how the lottery played out:
- Orlando Magic
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Houston Rockets
- Sacramento Kings
- Detroit Pistons
- Indiana Pacers
- Portland Trail Blazers
- New Orleans Pelicans
- San Antonio Spurs
- Washington Wizards
- New York Knicks
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Charlotte Hornets
- Cleveland Cavaliers
Jabari Smith Jr. favored to be top pick
With a little more than a month until the NBA Draft (June 23), Auburn forward Jabari Smith Jr. finds himself as the favorite to be selected No. 1 by Orlando.
Entering Tuesday, Smith was listed as a -105 favorite by BetMGM Michigan. Following the lottery, DraftKings Sportsbook MI bumped Smith’s odds up to -125.
Forwards dictate this draft, as Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga (+150) and Paolo Banchero of Duke (+450) also are among the top favorites.
Smith is getting 22.6% of the wagers and 24% of the handle in this market right now at BetMGM.
What can Pistons do at No. 5?
The Pistons were really hoping to land one of those three forwards in the top 3 of the draft.
With that not happening, Detroit may need to address a different position.
Along with the three forwards, the top 5 players in this draft based on top-pick odds appear to be Purdue guard Jaden Ivey (+4000 to go No. 1) and Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe (+5000).
Detroit’s biggest areas of need are an aggressive forward that can get to the rim, and some reliable shooting.
Ivey was a 46% shooter last season for Purdue, including 35.8% from behind the arc. He averaged 17.3 points per game for the Boilermakers. Surprisingly, he is getting 43% of the handle in the No. 1 pick market at BetMGM.
Sharpe never stepped on the floor for Kentucky as he joined the program in January after finishing high school in the fall. Sharpe is considered a premier athlete, but also comes with a lot of risk.
