History of the Bad Luck the Hornets Have Had in the Draft Lottery
The NBA Draft Lottery is scheduled to take place on May 12th. For Hornets fans, they will find out where their team will be picking from come the first night of the NBA Draft on June 25th. There is excitement buzzing around the Queen City with the potential of the Hornets having the opportunity to draft this year's top prospect, Cooper Flagg. However, the Hornets have run into some bad luck in the lottery since winning it in 1991. Charlotte fans may be excited, but unless they get a lucky bounce of the ball, history has shown that they will be disappointed once again.
Now, normally, the team with the worst record would get the number one pick in next year’s draft. However, that is not the strategy the NBA uses in determining its draft order. Only the top four picks are determined by the lottery. They are chosen from the 14 teams that did not make the playoffs, unless a playoff team has the rights to that team's pick. Those teams are randomly selected by ping-pong balls numbered one through fourteen and placed in the lottery machine. If your number comes up during the four drawings, then your team has secured one of the top four selections in the draft. Teams fifth through fourteenth are determined by record. The Hornets had the third-worst record this year, giving them a high chance of getting a top pick. However, the Hornets have been there before, they drafted LaMelo Ball with the third pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Now, Hornets fans are clamoring to get the first pick in this year's draft. Ever since selecting Larry Johnson with the number one pick in the 1991 NBA Draft, the Hornets have faced some bad luck in the draft lottery by missing out on star players by one pick. Here are a few examples.
In 2004, Dwight Howard was the top prospect in his draft class, and the Hornets missed him by one pick. Next, in 2012, when Charlotte finished with the worst record in the league in that lockout-shortened season, 7-59. The team desperately needed a break in the draft lottery and did not get it. They ended up picking second again and missed out on drafting Anthony Davis. Finally, in 2023, the Hornets missed out on a generational superstar in Victor Wembanyama by one pick and ended up drafting Brandon Miller with the second pick. Miller is still showing growth, but injuries have slowed him down so far.
Overall, since 2004, the Hornets have been in the draft lottery 18 out of a possible 21 times and have experienced heartbreak after heartbreak. Unfortunately, the team has experienced decades of bad luck, but hopefully, their luck will turn around soon. The team is sending Head Coach Charles Lee to represent them at the lottery. After May 12th, the team will know their fate: will they get the opportunity to draft the top prospect from Duke, or will disappointment rear its ugly head again across the faces of Hornets fans?
