The NBA draft lottery misfortune that’s surrounded the Orlando Magic for almost 20 years has ended.
The Magic gained Tuesday evening’s draft lottery in Chicago, coming away with the No. 1 choose for the primary time since 2004.
After early success with the lottery, the Magic had both stayed at or fallen from their pre-lottery positioning of their earlier 14 tries courting to 1993.
Orlando had the perfect odds for the No. 1 choose within the 2004 lottery when it gained the highest choose, which resulted within the drafting of Dwight Howard.
That development of falling ended with the Magic, who entered Tuesday tied with three different groups for the perfect probabilities of getting the No. 1 choose (14%), successful the lottery for the fourth time within the franchise’s historical past.
The Magic additionally gained the lottery in back-to-back years in 1992 (Shaquille O’Neal) and 1993 (Chris Webber, who Orlando traded to the Golden State Warriors for Penny Hardaway and three future first-rounders).
“I’m so happy for our fans tonight,” president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman mentioned. “They really stuck with us and nights like this help when you can show the fruits of why you go through these phases and cycles. Hopefully, they’re really excited by this. We’re going to add another good young player to our talent base. It’s an exciting night.”
A few hours earlier than the lottery, it was introduced coach Jamahl Mosley would substitute Weltman because the Magic’s on-stage consultant.
As the picks earlier than the Magic had been being revealed and it turned clear they had been going to get the highest spot, Mosley’s started getting excited for the group.
“I wasn’t trying to go too far ahead. I was just trying to work on just breathing and staying in the moment as best as possible,” mentioned Mosley, who enters his second season as coach. “I was getting excited for our fanbase, the organization and how exciting it is for this group of young men to add another young talent to this group that’s already so tied together.”
Once the highest choose was revealed, a celebration among the many Magic’s on-site contingent, together with Cole DeVos, Joel Glass, Alex Martins, John Hammond, Mosley and Weltman, ensued.
“These are hard seasons when you’re not winning,” mentioned Weltman, after a 22-60 file in 2021-22 was the league’s second-worst mark. “It takes a lot out of you and you got to carry your belief in your team, players and the organization through. So when you get a break, it helps. That’s how teams are built. Tonight’s a good night for us.”
Now, the Magic are in full management.
“That’s really what you earn tonight: You get to do what you want to do,” Weltman mentioned. “It doesn’t change the workload. Matter of fact, it probably adds to the responsibility, but it’s exciting to have that opportunity. Pressure is a privilege. We’re privileged to have the pressure of the No. 1 pick.”
The full outcomes of the lottery: 1. Magic 2. Oklahoma City Thunder 3. Houston Rockets 4. Sacramento Kings 5. Detroit Pistons 6. Indiana Pacers 7. Portland Trail Blazers 8. New Orleans Pelicans (through Lakers) 9. San Antonio Spurs 10. Washington Wizards 11. New York Knicks 12. Thunder (through Los Angeles Clippers) 13. Charlotte Hornets 14. Cleveland Cavaliers.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or observe him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com