In the 78 years since the establishment of the NBA, there are still 7 teams that have not won the top pick! 2 teams won the championship, and the Thunder chose the only one

There is no 24th in the rivers and lakes

2024-05-13 19:06Published in Henan Sports Creators

Preface

Before 1985, the league mainly implemented two draft systems, from 1946 to 1965, during which the NBA did not have the term of the lottery, at that time, it was mainly based on the previous season's record of each team to directly distribute, so basically whoever has the worst record can get the top pick. In 1955, the NBA introduced the regional protection rule, which was that the team could choose to give up a first-round pick before the draft, so as to obtain a direct selection of college players in the same region, and it is worth mentioning that the 76ers used this rule to select Chamberlain.

By 1966, the league's draft rules had been perfected, and the top pick and the top pick were won by the bottom of the East and West respectively, and the two teams decided who would get the top pick by flipping a coin. And because the penultimate can at least get a leaderboard, the phenomenon of the league in that era is also very exaggerated, and there are very few teams that really go to win every season, which also leads to the decline in game ratings.

In 1985, in order to curb this swing frenzy in the NBA as much as possible, then-commissioner Stern made reforms, which also set the overall framework for today's draft system. Later, in order to avoid the recurrence of the crazy swing phenomenon, the top management has been constantly improving the draft draw, and the top three teams in the league after 2019 have the same probability of winning the top pick, but it is not excluded that there are teams with better records who draw the top pick with a lower probability.

This year, the Hawks, who have been more unlucky in the lottery in the past, were lucky to win the lottery with a 3% probability, and the last time they won the championship was 49 years ago, it is worth mentioning that because the ABA and the NBA have not yet merged, David Thompson was selected by the NBA Hawks and the ABA Nuggets at the same time, and he finally chose to join the latter. However, the Hawks are not the most unlucky team in the league, and there are still seven teams in the NBA that have not been picked so far, so let's take a look at which teams they are.

1. Charlotte Hornets (not won)

Founded: 2004

Highest pick in the draft: Eye of the List (2004, 2012, 2023)

Founded in 2004, the Hornets are the youngest team in the league, and they were originally called Charlotte Bobcats, but in the 2014-2015 season they were renamed Charlotte Hornets. In their first year in the league, the league gifted the Hornets an additional draft pick, so they also selected Okafor with the first roster pick in franchise history, but they have since been at the bottom of the East for many years, with their best year being only 35 wins.

It wasn't until the 2009-2010 season that the Hornets finally entered the playoffs for the first time in franchise history with a 44-win record, but unfortunately they were swept in the first round by the Magic that year. The playoffs didn't change the Hornets' appearance, and they have since been the league's perennial bottom team, with a 7-59 regular season record in 2011-2012. In the 2012 draft, the Hornets drafted Gilchlister with the roster, but he was also a parallel commodity and retired after only eight years in the league.

The Hornets were led by No. 9 pick Walker in 2011, and they also made the playoffs in 2014 and 2016, but both times were first-round rounders. After Walker left the Hornets in 2019, the team fell into underestimation again, and in 2020 they selected Ball with a scout pick and in 2023 with a Roster pick, and now they have a lot of young players on the team, but no one knows how long it will be before they will make the playoffs next time.

2. Memphis Grizzlies (not titled)

Founded: 1995

Highest draft pick: Eye of the List (1998, 1999, 2000, 2009, 2019)

When the Grizzlies were first founded, they weren't a U.S. team, and their home stadium was Vancouver, Canada, but they played there for six seasons before moving to what is now Memphis. The six years in Vancouver were the darkest period in the history of the Grizzlies, during which they won 23 wins in their best year, so they also selected a lot of picks at that time, including players like Bibby and Francis.

However, these people didn't stay with the team for long after being drafted by the Grizzlies, and Swift was the longest with the team in 2000, but he was also the most rookie, averaging only 11.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in the best year of his career. The Grizzlies came to Memphis in 2001, and it was the year they traded Pau Gasol, who is arguably one of the most important players in franchise history, because of his arrival, the Grizzlies were able to make the playoffs for three consecutive years.

After the Grizzlies sent Gasol away, they started a rebuild again, and then the 2009 selection of Tabit once again proved how bad the Grizzlies' scouting department was, and the latter was the only top-three pick in that class. But fortunately, with the rise of Xiaojia, the Grizzlies still completed the rebuild, and with the help of Conley, Randolph and others, the Grizzlies have also become regulars in the Western Conference playoffs, and they have also reached the Western Conference finals at their peak.

In 2016, the Grizzlies chose to rebuild again, and after 10 years, in 2019, the Grizzlies once again selected Morant. Now that 5 years have passed, if Morant hadn't been too "demonic" last year, the Grizzlies' draft could be said to be quite successful, he is not only strong enough, but also has the best commercial value among the league's young players, which is also quite important for a small ball market like the Grizzlies.

3. Miami Heat (3-time champions)

Founded: 1988

Highest pick in the draft: Eye of the List (2008)

In its early days, the Heat had scorers like Glen Rice, but the team made the playoffs twice in seven years. In the 1996-1997 season, the Heat had a 61-21 record in the regular season, and the playoffs also reached the Eastern Conference Finals.

Combined with Mourning's injury, the Heat's record went from bad to worse, but they also drafted the team's greatest all-time star in 2003, Dwyane Wade, whose arrival gave the team a new lease of life, and he helped the team win a championship in 2006. In 2010, under Wade's recruitment, James and Bosh came to the Heat, and the three of them teamed up to bring two championship trophies to the team.

Although the Heat have not reached the top again since 2013, they basically have a bad record every year, so they have always not been able to have an advantage in the lottery, and their only pick so far was drawn in 2008, but the Heat did not take advantage of this draft pick, and after they selected Beasley at that time, he was traded away before the rookie contract ended.

4. Utah Jazz (unwon)

Founded: 1974

Highest pick in the draft: Eye of the List (1980)

As an old powerhouse in the NBA, the Jazz have a good record for most of the team's history, and at their peak, under the leadership of Utah Stockton and Malone, the Jazz reached the Finals twice, but unfortunately lost to the Bulls. Although the team failed to win the championship in the end, the Jazz have made the playoffs for 20 consecutive years since 1984, which is quite impressive in history.

After Malone and Stockton left the team one after another, the Jazz also had star players such as Deron and Boozer, and the team was also very competitive in the West at that time. Later, in 2013, the Jazz drafted Gobert and trained him to become a three-time DPOY, and under the leadership of him and the No. 13 pick Mitchell in 2017, the team's record has always been stable in the top eight in the West, and they also won the first place in the West in the 2020-2021 season.

However, after sending away Mitchell and Gobert in 2022, the Jazz also started a rebuild, and in this year's lottery, they were only ranked fourth from the bottom in the West in the regular season, and finally drew the No. 10 pick.

5. Indiana Pacers (not winning)

Founded: 1967

Highest pick in the draft: Leader (1983, 1985, 1988)

When it was first formed in 1967, the Pacers were in the ABA, and they didn't come to the NBA until 1976, when the two major leagues merged. In the eight years of the ABA, the Pacers reached the Finals 5 times, 3 of which came to the end, but unfortunately they did not continue their hot form in the ABA after entering the NBA, and even remained at the bottom of the league for a long time.

However, compared to many teams, the Pacers did not deliberately pursue a bad game in that era when the draft system was not perfect, so they never got the top pick, and the highest pick was only three spots, and they were all in the 80s. And the Pacers' rise is not due to high rookies, they selected Miller with the No. 11 pick in 1987, but became the team's "lifeline".

Under Miller's leadership, the Pacers also returned to the Finals, and after his retirement, the team was taken over by Granger, Hibbert, George and others. Now the Pacers have acquired a talented young man like Haliburton, who has made the playoffs again this season under his leadership, and the young Haliburton has the potential to become the face of the league in the future, and he is currently the most promising Pacers player to catch up with Miller.

6. Denver Nuggets (1 title)

Founded: 1967

Highest pick in the draft: Tanhua (1990, 1998, 2003)

The Nuggets also joined the NBA because of the merger of the two major leagues in 1976, but compared to the Pacers, although the Nuggets were not so strong in the ABA, they got better and better after coming to the NBA, and won 50+ wins for two consecutive years, and later won the regional championship, and went all the way to the Western Finals, and then under the leadership of Inglish, the team also reached the playoffs many times.

However, in the 90s, the Nuggets became one of the most enthusiastic teams in the league, and their frenzied mess made God can't stand it, they just can't draw the top pick, and they can't even get the list. In 1991, he was the first to last and the fourth sign. In 1998, he was the penultimate and Tanhua lot, and in 2003, he was the penultimate and Tanhua lottery, but in 2003, Anthony was selected for this Tanhua.

The Nuggets gradually woke up to the fact that they no longer had a lower limit on their deliberate losses, and it seems that such a choice brought them better luck, and in 2014 they drafted Jokic in just one second round, and the latter has now become a top-three superstar in the current roster. In 2016, the Nuggets drafted Murray with the No. 7 pick, and his ability to break out in the playoffs helped the team win the championship in 2023.

7. Oklahoma City Thunder

Founded: 1967

Highest draft pick: Leader (1990, 2007, 2022)

The Thunder were formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics, and although they never won the championship, the SuperSonics were still one of the strongest teams in the league in the '70s, and they won the only championship in franchise history in 1979. Later, in their last season in Seattle, the SuperSonics also selected Durant, which also laid a solid foundation for their future creation, and under the leadership of Durant, Wei Shao, and Harden, the team also reached the Finals in 2012.

Although the Thunder's luck is relatively poor, they still have a very tricky vision, and the two of them who were selected in 2022 are Holmgren and No. 12 show Jayway, who have also performed quite well this season. In addition to the draft, when trading George in 2019, the Thunder took a fancy to Alexander at a glance, who has now become an MVP-level star in the league, and he and Holmgren and Jay are completely the new generation of Thunder three less, and it is precisely because of the previous trade that the Thunder won the first place in the West this year, they also have a No. 12 pick, I have to say that their management is too strong.

View original image 151K

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•