NBA Draft and What Leads Up to It

Your Guide to All that is the NBA Draft

Good evening! With the NBA Playoffs in full swing, I felt the need to fill you, our valued readers, in on what all is to come. My beloved Pistons have already ended their season, so for me it is time to look ahead to the future. Let's jump in with some key dates to remember.

May 11-15

NBA Combine

The NBA Combine is very similar to the NFL's. Players are welcomed through invitation only and work out in front of scouts, get measured, and conduct interviews, The workouts consist of various activities that range from shooting drills, vertical jumps, bench presses, and sprinting exercises. Players are also measured for wingspan, height in shoes, without shoes, standing reach, body fat, and even hand size. There is a multitude of testing done on potential draftees during these five days. The Combine can have a drastic effect on where a player might be drafted. A good or bad combine can define whether someone is a lottery pick or if they fall out of the first round.

May 17

NBA Draft Lottery

The NBA Draft Lottery determines where the teams who didn't make the playoffs get to make their selections. Supposedly, it is based off pure chance. With the new rules, the top three picks are determined by the lottery while the remaining 13 are based off of win-loss record. 1,001 outcomes are possible with the league-worst record having a 25% chance of getting the first overall pick. The best record of the teams in the lottery will only have a 0.5% chance to win the first pick. The Lottery debuted in 1985 (Patrick Ewing was selected first that year). Since then, the team with the worst record has only won the Lottery five times! You be the judge of just how "fair" it really is.

May 25

NCAA Deadline to Return

This is a new date in the system. Before this year, the deadline for an underclassman to return to school was on April 16. As you can tell, that was nearly a month before the Combine was even held. The Evil Stepmother that is the NCAA has for once decided to look out for their student-athletes. By extending the day, potential draftees may now attend the Combine, receive reviews from NBA scouts, and then return to college with the know how of what they need to improve on. Also new, student-athletes now have no restrictions on how many times they declare for the draft. Great job for once, NCAA, you bastards.

June 23

NBA Draft

Now we've made it to the big night. If you have stuck around this long, you're pretty sure that you will be drafted. It's a night every kid who ever played basketball has dreamed about. Hearing your name called will be one of the greatest moments of your life. Dreams will come true, and your journey for the previous 18-22 years is now complete. Congratulations, you have made it.

I will continue to keep you up to date on the developments that will lead to draft night along with some of my predictions that are involved with it. Who will be number 1? Number 2? Even 3? You won't know until the night of June 23. Thanks for reading!

-Dug

@chansm1th