Adam Silver, NBA Draft (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
NBA Draft Lottery: We ran four mocks, here’s how the Pacers did
The big question heading into the offseason was which pick the Indiana Pacers would have in the upcoming draft. On Tuesday night, that question was finally answered when the ping pong balls were finally rolled out and the draft order was revealed to lottery teams and the rest of the world. And the results were somewhat surprising.
San Antonio won the first overall pick in the draft for the third time in franchise history, moving up two spots in the projected order to claim the number one overall pick. There was some shaking near the top with Charlotte and Portland moving up to claim picks two and three. The big loser of the night was Detroit, which fell four spots to pick five. And the Pacers? They ended up exactly where they were predicted to end up, at pick number seven.
NBA Draft Lottery Results:
1. Spurs
2. Hornets
3. Trail Blazers
4. Rockets
5. Pistons
6. Magic
7. Pacers
8. Magi
9. Jazz
10. Mavericks
11. Magic
12. Thunder
13. Birds of prey
14. Pelicans
— NBA Sports News (@sn_nba) May 17, 2023
Pacers fans shouldn’t be too disheartened, they can still get a potential franchise cornerstone.
There’s still hope the Pacers can do something meaningful with the number seven pick, though they’ll have to be a little more strategic. The players like it Cam Whitmore, Jarace Walker and Gradey Dick will likely be the best available on the board, meaning there will be some strong contenders for the forward spot. This is the position the Pacers desperately need to draft this summer.
As for the draft results, this is a continuation of the continued bad luck for the franchise, which can’t seem to get a win (unlike the Spurs and Cavs who seem to walk backwards towards the number one pick year after year) . I guess Pacers fans can take comfort in knowing we didn’t fall back, but it’s still disappointing not to go back up.
Let’s hope that the next time we meet in the lottery, the narrative will finally change. Congratulations Spurs, enjoy the next decade of having a superstar.
