Atlantic Notes: Tatum, J. Green, Simmons, Hill, Raptors
The Celtics and Nets each had a player leave Tuesday’s game early due to an injury, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN details.
The Celtics’ loss was more significant, as star forward Jayson Tatum exited in the third quarter after being inadvertently poked in the eye by Nets forward Kevin Durant. Tatum, who headed to the locker room following the injury, eventually returned to the bench, but he was unable to play any more and his status going forward is uncertain.
“He went back out on the court (and) tried to readjust to the light out there, and he was really struggling,” Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said, per Bontemps. “He got scratched pretty good. It looks pretty red, it looks pretty swollen to me. I don’t know what that means. I don’t know what the exact diagnosis is. But he’s uncomfortable right now.”
Meanwhile, Nets forward Jeff Green left in the second quarter due to a bruised left foot. The veteran has been a reliable role player for Brooklyn this season, averaging 27 minutes per game in 68 regular season contests and matching that minute total in Game 1. However, the Nets – already up 2-0 in the series – are far better positioned to handle any missed time for Green than the Celtics are for Tatum.
Here are a few more items from around the Atlantic:
- After Ben Simmons scored just six points on 3-of-9 shooting in Game 1, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said he doesn’t understand criticism of the standout guard, who contributed 15 assists and 15 rebounds in the team’s victory. “Only in Philadelphia,” Rivers said, per Rob Maaddi of The Associated Press. “If you guys don’t know the treasure you have by now, then shame on everyone because he’s been fantastic for us. … I’m amazed that people don’t see what he does. We’re so caught up in the amount of points he scored. … Does it matter if Ben had all 125? Would we be mad that Joel (Embiid) didn’t score? Who cares who scores as long as we’re scoring. … When Ben plays, we score more points.”
- It took a while for George Hill to get healthy and make his Sixers debut after he was acquired at the trade deadline, but the veteran guard will be relied upon more heavily now that the postseason is underway, writes Tom Moore of The Bucks County Courier Times.
- The Raptors‘ own first-round pick is in the lottery for the first time since 2012, prompting Blake Murphy of The Athletic to explore whether the team should consider trading its first-rounder. Murphy also looks at trade possibilities for Toronto’s two second-round selections.
Poll: 2021 All-NBA First Team
The competition for the league’s 15 All-NBA spots was fiercer than ever in 2020/21, with tens of millions of dollars up for grabs for certain players based on the voting results. Since the NBA has already started to announce its end-of-season award winners, we want to give you an opportunity to vote on the All-NBA rosters for 2020/21 before they’re officially revealed.
We’re starting today with the First Team before moving onto the Second Team on Friday and the Third Team early next week.
Because we want to essentially put you in the position of the media members who had All-NBA votes, we’re going to make certain players eligible at multiple positions, as they were on the official ballots. Here, via Howard Beck of SI.com (Twitter links), are the most notable multi-position eligible players:
Players eligible at both center and forward:
Players eligible at both forward and guard:
- Devin Booker
- Jaylen Brown
- Jimmy Butler
- Luka Doncic
- Paul George
- LeBron James
- Zach LaVine
- Kawhi Leonard
- Khris Middleton
- Ben Simmons
- Jayson Tatum
Frankly, I find some of these classifications a little ridiculous — if the NBA is going to play this fast and loose with positional designations, why not just remove them altogether and let voters pick the 15 best players?
I don’t think it makes any sense to vote, say, Booker as a forward or Leonard as a guard. And Basketball-Reference’s data suggests Embiid has never played a single minute at forward in his entire NBA career.
Of course, making Embiid and Jokic eligible at two positions allows voters to put those two MVP finalists on the First Team. Beware if you decide to go that route though — placing Jokic and Embiid on the First Team may result in a fourth center making the Third Team over a more deserving guard or forward.
A couple more notes before we move onto the polls:
- If there’s a player you believe deserves All-NBA consideration who isn’t named below, be sure to mention him in the comment section — if I agree, I’ll make sure he’s included in our Second and Third Team polls.
- Be sure to take advantage of the opportunity to select two players apiece in both the guard and forward polls.
Vote for your All-NBA First Team below, then take to the comment section to explain your picks!
Guards
(choose two)
Who are your All-NBA First Team guards?
-
Stephen Curry (Warriors) 37% (1,301)
-
Luka Doncic (Mavericks) 25% (873)
-
Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers) 10% (339)
-
Bradley Beal (Wizards) 5% (175)
-
Chris Paul (Suns) 4% (139)
-
Russell Westbrook (Wizards) 3% (97)
-
Devin Booker (Suns) 3% (95)
-
James Harden (Nets) 3% (91)
-
LeBron James (Lakers) 2% (82)
-
Donovan Mitchell (Jazz) 1% (42)
-
Ben Simmons (Sixers) 1% (39)
-
Kyrie Irving (Nets) 1% (37)
-
Ja Morant (Grizzlies) 1% (32)
-
Jayson Tatum (Celtics) 1% (29)
-
Trae Young (Hawks) 1% (29)
-
Jrue Holiday (Bucks) 1% (27)
-
Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) 1% (26)
-
Jimmy Butler (Heat) 1% (23)
-
Khris Middleton (Bucks) 1% (18)
-
Jaylen Brown (Celtics) 0% (16)
-
Zach LaVine (Bulls) 0% (16)
-
De'Aaron Fox (Kings) 0% (10)
-
Paul George (Clippers) 0% (6)
-
Mike Conley (Jazz) 0% (5)
Total votes: 3,547
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA First Team guards.
Forwards
(choose two)
Who are your All-NBA First Team forwards?
-
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) 35% (1,140)
-
Joel Embiid (Sixers) 10% (338)
-
Luka Doncic (Mavericks) 10% (337)
-
Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) 10% (335)
-
LeBron James (Lakers) 7% (241)
-
Julius Randle (Knicks) 6% (191)
-
Kevin Durant (Nets) 5% (150)
-
Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) 4% (139)
-
Jayson Tatum (Celtics) 3% (108)
-
Zion Williamson (Pelicans) 2% (62)
-
Anthony Davis (Lakers) 2% (52)
-
Devin Booker (Suns) 1% (41)
-
Jimmy Butler (Heat) 1% (25)
-
Khris Middleton (Bucks) 1% (24)
-
Ben Simmons (Sixers) 1% (20)
-
Jaylen Brown (Celtics) 1% (17)
-
Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves) 0% (16)
-
Tobias Harris (Sixers) 0% (15)
-
Bam Adebayo (Heat) 0% (11)
-
Michael Porter Jr. (Nuggets) 0% (9)
-
Zach LaVine (Bulls) 0% (8)
-
Paul George (Clippers) 0% (6)
-
Brandon Ingram (Pelicans) 0% (5)
Total votes: 3,290
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA First Team forwards.
Center
Who is your All-NBA First Team center?
-
Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) 62% (1,030)
-
Joel Embiid (Sixers) 26% (423)
-
Rudy Gobert (Jazz) 3% (54)
-
Anthony Davis (Lakers) 2% (35)
-
Nikola Vucevic (Magic/Bulls) 2% (32)
-
Domantas Sabonis (Pacers) 1% (23)
-
Clint Capela (Hawks) 1% (21)
-
Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves) 1% (21)
-
Bam Adebayo (Heat) 1% (9)
-
Myles Turner (Pacers) 0% (7)
Total votes: 1,655
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA First Team center.
Central Notes: Altman, Pacers, Forbes, Draft
The 2021 Cavaliers offseason could include front office changes, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Current GM Koby Altman has been leading the front office since the 2017 offseason.
Fedor reflects that former Cavs general manager Danny Ferry enjoyed the lengthiest run (five years) in power for Cleveland since Dan Gilbert became the team’s majority owner. Alhough the team remains in the midst of a multi-year rebuild, there is a chance that Gilbert’s impatience compels him to make a change and let Altman go, following a 22-50 season, Fedor notes.
Fedor also mentions that Knicks executive Brock Aller, who kicked off his NBA career as Gilbert’s personal assistant before moving up the ranks in the Cavaliers’ front office, could be a potential replacement for Altman. Fedor adds, however, that Aller recently sold his Ohio home, an indication that the exec expects to remain with the Knicks for the immediate future.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- Though current Pacers head coach Nate Bjorkgren may not be long for Indiana, Bob Kravitz of The Athletic predicts that Indiana’s front office will not be making many significant changes to the team’s on-court personnel. Key players T.J. Warren, Caris LeVert, Jeremy Lamb, Malcolm Brogdon, and Myles Turner all missed significant time for Indiana this season. Kravtiz anticipates that team president Kevin Pritchard will want to assess what a healthy iteration of this lineup looks like before making major moves.
- Bucks reserve shooting guard Bryn Forbes proved his value with a stellar shooting night in the second game of Milwaukee’s first round matchup against the Heat, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Forbes scored 22 points and connected on six of his nine long-range attempts. Forbes has a $2.45MM player option for the 2021/22 NBA season, and may command a raise on the open market should he opt out of his current deal.
- The Pacers are returning to the NBA draft lottery for the first time in six seasons. Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files examines the team’s (slight) odds at landing a top-four pick this season. Ahead of the lottery, the Pacers possess the No. 13 pick in the 2021 draft, with a 1% chance of landing the top pick.
Southeast Notes: Gafford, Lowry, Magic, Wiz Arena
During a recent media session, Wizards head coach Scott Brooks responded to growing fan interest in athletic, defensive-oriented reserve center Daniel Gafford receiving a heavier minutes load, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington.
“There’s always other things to consider; foul situations that we have to be aware of,” Brooks said. “One thing I love about Gaff’ is he understands and he wants to get better. He’s very coachable, he listens to our veterans, he listens to our coaches. He’s a really, really talented young player that’s going to continue to grow into a really good player.”
Gafford is currently averaging 17.7 MPG for the Wizards this season, more than starter Alex Len (15.8 MPG) but fewer than fellow bench big Robin Lopez (19.1 MPG).
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel wonders if the Heat will make another run at current Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry, a free agent this summer. Miami considered trading for the former six-time All-Star at this season’s deadline, but instead opted to add guard Victor Oladipo, who only appeared in four games for the club before requiring another surgery on the right quadriceps tendon he initially ruptured in 2019. Winderman notes that Heat star swingman Jimmy Butler and Lowry are close, as Lowry is the godfather to Butler’s daughter. Winderman adds that adding a high-level veteran point guard to upgrade the position could help the Heat convince Butler to ink a contract extension, which he will be eligible to do this summer.
- With the Magic potentially in position to make two lottery selections in this summer’s tantalizing draft, Josh Robbins of The Athletic examines which Orlando players seem most likely to stick around into the 2021/22 season, and which seem liable to leave. Robbins predicts that shooting guard Dwayne Bacon, forward Ignas Brazdeikis, and big man Donta Hall will all be moving on this summer.
- The Wizards will be boosting the crowd capacity of their home court, the Capital One Arena, to 50% of its total capacity, writes Ava Wallace of the Washington Post. The venue had previously permitted just 25% capacity due to coronavirus-era indoor attendance restrictions. Now, approximately 10,000 fans will be able to watch the Wizards’ first postseason home games in three seasons when the team’s current first-round matchup against the Sixers moves to D.C. on Saturday.
Julius Randle Named 2020/21 Most Improved Player
All-Star Knicks forward Julius Randle has been named the Most Improved Player of the 2020/21 NBA season, the league announced in a press release.
Randle was listed as one of three finalists for the award last week, along with Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. and Porter’s former teammate, current Pistons forward Jerami Grant.
Randle received 98 of 100 possible first-place votes from polled reporters and journalists, while Grant netted the other two. Rockets center Christian Wood and Bulls guard Zach LaVine rounded out the top five vote-getters.
JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors supplies the full voting results here (Twitter link).
Randle, who was drafted with the seventh pick out of Kentucky in 2014 by the Lakers, posted impressive numbers with Los Angeles and later the Pelicans, but has secured a true home while blossoming into an All-NBA talent under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.
Across 71 of a possible 72 games, the 26-year-old averaged 24.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG, and 6.0 APG, all career-bests, while leading New York to its first playoff berth in eight seasons. The 6’8″ forward also posted a slash line of .456/.411/.811 during the 2020/21 regular season.
Thanks to the improvement of Randle and RJ Barrett and the game-planning expertise of new head coach Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks didn’t just make the postseason under Randle’s leadership — they also nabbed the No. 4 seed in the East with a 41-31 record, clinching home court advantage in the ongoing first round of the playoffs.
Randle, who inked a three-year, $63MM deal with the Knicks in the summer of 2019, will be eligible for a veteran extension this summer, ahead of the non-guaranteed final year of his deal. If Randle and the Knicks agree to a maximum four-year extension, such a deal could carry a $106MM+ base value, with added incentives.
Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram won the award last year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NBA Fines Kristaps Porzingis $50K For Violating League Protocols
The NBA has fined Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis $50K for socializing in a club on Sunday, according to an official league press release (Twitter link).
Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets that Porzingis attended a Los Angeles-area strip club following the Mavericks’ first game against the Clippers. MacMahon adds that Porzingis has been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus COVID-19.
This appearance violated a league rule designed to prevent players from attending a club, lounge or bar, whether or not the players themselves have received the vaccine for COVID-19.
“In consultation with medical experts, and based on all facts and circumstances, it was determined that his attendance did not create risks related to the spread of COVID-19 and therefore no quarantine is necessary,” the league wrote in its statement.
League spokesman Mike Bass clarified the difference between the fine for Porzingis and the treatment of Lakers All-Star forward LeBron James, who also recently violated the league’s COVID-19 protocols, albeit under different circumstances, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).
“LeBron briefly attended an outdoor event related to an individual commercial activity where everyone was either required to be vaccinated or return a negative (COVID-19) test,” Bass said. “The league reviews each potential protocol violation on a case-by-case basis, and determines quarantines and imposes discipline based on the individual facts and circumstances of each matter.” James was not penalized with a fine or suspension.
Community Shootaround: Eastern Conference First-Round Series
As we discussed on Monday, the postseason is off to a fascinating start in the Western Conference, where the underdogs in all four series won Game One. The results in the Eastern Conference haven’t been quite as surprising so far.
The No. 1 Sixers and No. 2 Nets took care of the Wizards and Celtics in their respective Game Ones. Although Washington and Boston were competitive, the star power of the higher seeds may be too much for the two play-in teams — Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris racked up a combined 67 points for Philadelphia on Sunday, while Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden scored 82 of Brooklyn’s 104 points on Saturday.
Meanwhile, after upsetting the Bucks in last year’s second round, the Heat have dug themselves a 2-0 hole in this year’s first round, and Monday’s loss was especially one-sided. Milwaukee poured in 46 first-quarter points and 22 total three-pointers en route to a blowout victory.
Based on what we’ve seen so far, the most exciting Eastern Conference series in the first round should be the one featuring two teams that have spent the last few years out of the postseason. The Knicks and Hawks went down to the wire on Sunday, with Trae Young clinching an Atlanta victory by hitting a floater with less than a second left in regulation.
The Celtics, Wizards, and Heat still have plenty of time to turn things around, but oddsmakers view it as a long shot that any of these three clubs will pull off a comeback. BetOnline.ag currently lists the Nets as -2750 favorites, meaning that if you want to bet on Brooklyn to win the series, you’d have to risk $2,750 in order to win just $100. The Sixers (-1800) and Bucks (-1000) are also heavy favorites.
The Hawks’ Game 1 upset has made them the frontrunners over the Knicks, but Vegas still views that series as practically a toss-up compared to the other three — Atlanta is only a -255 favorite.
We want to know what you think. Will the East’s top three seeds hold on and win their respective series with relative ease, or will the Celtics, Wizards, and/or Heat come alive and make things interesting? Do you expect a long series between the Hawks and Knicks? Who are you picking to win that one?
Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
2021 NBA Draft Lottery Odds
The NBA will be using its revamped lottery format for a third time this year. The new format, instituted in 2019, smoothed out the odds for top picks, reducing the league’s worst team’s chance of getting the No. 1 selection from 25.0% to 14.0%.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: NBA Draft Lottery]
The new format has had an immediate impact. In 2019, the Pelicans and Grizzlies were tied for the seventh-best lottery odds, but jumped up to No. 1 and 2, respectively, allowing them to land Zion Williamson and Ja Morant.
The shakeup in 2020 wasn’t quite as drastic, but the Bulls and Hornets landed picks in the top four despite entering lottery night with the seventh- and eighth-best odds, respectively. That stroke of luck significantly changed the direction of the franchise in Charlotte, where the Hornets were able to land LaMelo Ball with the No. 3 pick.
With the help of data from Tankathon.com – which is worth checking out for all sorts of draft-related info – the draft lottery odds for 2021 are listed in the chart below.
The numbers in the chart indicate percentages, so the Rockets‘ pick, for instance, has a 14% chance of landing the No. 1 pick and a 47.9% chance of ending up at No. 5. If a team’s odds are listed as >0, that percentage is below 0.1%.
Here’s the full chart:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | 14 | 13.4 | 12.7 | 12 | 47.9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| DET | 14 | 13.4 | 12.7 | 12 | 27.8 | 20.1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| ORL | 14 | 13.4 | 12.7 | 12 | 14.8 | 26 | 7.1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| OKC | 11.5 | 11.4 | 11.2 | 11 | 7.4 | 27.1 | 18 | 2.4 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| CLE | 11.5 | 11.4 | 11.2 | 11 | 2 | 18.2 | 25.5 | 8.6 | 0.6 | – | – | – | – | – |
| MIN | 9 | 9.2 | 9.4 | 9.6 | – | 8.6 | 29.7 | 20.6 | 3.8 | 0.2 | – | – | – | – |
| TOR | 7.5 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 8.5 | – | – | 19.8 | 33.9 | 13 | 1.4 | >0 | – | – | – |
| CHI | 4.5 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 5.7 | – | – | – | 34.5 | 36.2 | 8.5 | 0.5 | >0 | – | – |
| SAC | 4.5 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 5.7 | – | – | – | – | 46.4 | 29.4 | 3.9 | 0.1 | >0 | – |
| NOP | 4.5 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 5.7 | – | – | – | – | – | 60.6 | 17.9 | 1.2 | >0 | >0 |
| CHA | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 2.5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 77.6 | 13.4 | 0.4 | >0 |
| SAS | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 2.4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 85.2 | 6.6 | 0.1 |
| IND | 1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 92.9 | 2.3 |
| GSW | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 97.6 |
Notes:
- The Rockets‘ pick will be sent to the Thunder (in exchange for the No. 18 pick) if it lands at No. 5.
- The Timberwolves‘ pick will be sent to the Warriors if it lands outside of the top three.
- The Bulls‘ pick will be sent to the Magic if it lands outside of the top four.
The full pre-lottery draft order for 2021 can be found right here.
2021 Pre-Lottery NBA Draft Order
The NBA conducted its draft tiebreakers on Tuesday, further cementing the draft order for 2021. While we’ll have to wait until the June 22 draft lottery to learn the exact order for this year’s event, we now know what most of the 60 selections look like.
Listed below is the pre-lottery 2021 NBA draft order. Each lottery team’s chances of landing the No. 1 overall pick are noted in parentheses. We’ve also included notes for picks whose status remains up in the air — for example, the Timberwolves‘ first-round pick could still technically end up with either Minnesota or the Warriors.
The second-round draft order for teams with identical regular season records is the inverse of their first-round order. So regardless of today’s tiebreakers, the exact order of a few second-round picks will hinge on next month’s lottery results.
For instance, even though the Thunder won the tiebreaker vs. the Cavaliers for the No. 4 spot in the lottery standings, Cleveland could still leapfrog Oklahoma City in the lottery, in which case the Thunder’s second-round pick would move ahead of the Cavs’ second-rounder.
We’ll provided an updated list after the June 22 lottery, once the official draft order is set, but here’s the tentative 2021 NBA draft order:
First Round:
- Houston Rockets (14.0%)
- Note: The Thunder will have the ability to swap the Heat’s first-round pick (No. 18) for this selection if it falls outside of the top four.
- Detroit Pistons (14.0%)
- Orlando Magic (14.0%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (11.5%)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (11.5%)
- Golden State Warriors (from Timberwolves) (9.0%)
- Note: The Timberwolves will retain this pick if it moves into the top three.
- Toronto Raptors (7.5%)
- Orlando Magic (from Bulls) (4.5%)
- Note: The Bulls will retain this pick if it moves into the top four.
- Sacramento Kings (4.5%)
- New Orleans Pelicans (4.5%)
- Charlotte Hornets (1.8%)
- San Antonio Spurs (1.7%)
- Indiana Pacers (1.0%)
- Golden State Warriors (0.5%)
- Washington Wizards
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Celtics)
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Heat)
- Note: The Thunder will have the ability to swap this pick for the Rockets’ pick if Houston’s pick falls outside of the top four.
- New York Knicks
- Atlanta Hawks
- New York Knicks (from Mavericks)
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Houston Rockets (from Trail Blazers)
- Houston Rockets (from Bucks)
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Denver Nuggets
- Brooklyn Nets
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Phoenix Suns
- Utah Jazz
Second Round:
- Milwaukee Bucks (from Rockets)
- New York Knicks (from Pistons)
- Orlando Magic
- New Orleans Pelicans (from Cavaliers)
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Note: The Nos. 34 and 35 picks would swap places if Cleveland gets a higher first-round pick than Oklahoma City via the lottery.
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Timberwolves)
- Detroit Pistons (from Raptors)
- Chicago Bulls (from Pelicans)
- Sacramento Kings
- New Orleans Pelicans (from Bulls)
- Note: The Nos. 38, 39, and 40 picks may swap places based on the lottery results. However, the Bulls will always pick ahead of the Pelicans, since Chicago has the ability to swap second-round picks with New Orleans.
- San Antonio Spurs
- Detroit Pistons (from Hornets)
- Note: The Nos. 41 and 42 picks would swap places if San Antonio gets a higher first-round pick than Charlotte via the lottery.
- New Orleans Pelicans (from Wizards)
- Brooklyn Nets (from Pacers)
- Boston Celtics
- Toronto Raptors (from Grizzlies)
- Toronto Raptors (from Warriors)
- Atlanta Hawks (from Heat)
- Brooklyn Nets (from Hawks)
- Philadelphia 76ers (from Knicks)
- Memphis Grizzlies (from Trail Blazers)
- Detroit Pistons (from Lakers)
- New Orleans Pelicans (from Mavericks)
- Indiana Pacers (from Bucks)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Nuggets)
- Charlotte Hornets (from Clippers)
- Charlotte Hornets (from Nets)
- New York Knicks (from Sixers)
- Brooklyn Nets (from Suns)
- Indiana Pacers (from Jazz)
2021 NBA Draft Tiebreaker Results
The NBA conducted a series of random tiebreakers today to determine the lottery standings and the 2021 draft order. These tiebreakers involved teams that finished the regular season with identical records.
The results are as follows, per Jeremy Woo of SI.com (Twitter link):
- Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 4) over Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 5)
- Chicago Bulls (No. 8) over Sacramento Kings (No. 9) over New Orleans Pelicans (No. 10)
- Note: The Magic will receive the Bulls’ first-round pick if it doesn’t move up into the top four.
- Charlotte Hornets (No. 11) over San Antonio Spurs (No. 12)
- New York Knicks (No. 19) over Atlanta Hawks (No. 20)
- New York Knicks (No. 21) over Los Angeles Lakers (No. 22) over Houston Rockets (No. 23)
- Note: The Knicks’ pick is courtesy of the Mavericks, while the Rockets’ pick is courtesy of the Trail Blazers.
- Los Angeles Clippers (No. 25) over Denver Nuggets (No. 26).
Lottery teams that finished tied in the regular standings are granted essentially identical odds to move up into the top four. For instance, the Thunder and Cavaliers will each have an 11.5% chance at the No. 1 overall pick, while the Bulls, Kings, and Pelicans will have matching 4.5% odds at the top selection.
However, the tiebreaker is still important for lottery teams because it dictates which team(s) will draft first in the event that neither club moves into the top four. For example, the Cavs could theoretically slip as far as No. 9 in the draft now, while the Thunder couldn’t fall below No. 8.
Outside of the lottery, the tiebreaker results simply determine the draft order. That order is subsequently reversed in the second round. For instance, the Clippers and Nuggets will pick at Nos. 25 and 26, respectively in the first round, but in round two, Denver’s pick (traded to the Thunder) will be No. 55, while the Clippers’ pick (traded to Charlotte) will be No. 56.
The Thunder and Knicks are among the big tiebreaker winners. Oklahoma City’s odds of securing a top-six pick improved by virtue of its tiebreaker win over Cleveland. As for the Knicks, they could’ve ended up with the 20th and 23rd overall picks, but will instead draft at 19 and 21.
The Magic are an under-the-radar winner as well, since they hold Chicago’s first-round pick (top-four protected). The Bulls’ tiebreaker win didn’t affect the team’s odds of moving into the top four, but it substantially increased the odds that Orlando will end up with a pick at No. 8 or 9 instead of 10 or lower.