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NBA Draft Lottery Preview: What’s at stake for the Cavs?

By Josh Cornelissen

Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers and Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner. Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers and Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner. Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images /
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Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images /

What is the NBA Draft Lottery?

The NBA Draft Lottery is an invention of the league to (1) decrease tanking and (2) increase fan interest. Because the NBA is a league where a single star player can have an enormous impact on a team’s success, the rights to the very top picks are more valuable than most other leagues. To help keep teams from just flat-out losing every single game to chase a top player, the draft lottery adds some randomness. The very worst teams have the best odds to get a top pick, but a team with a better record could “jump” them in the draft order if their combination is chosen in the lottery.

The other goal is to drum up fan interest, and that has absolutely come to pass. Gone are the days of secret drawings announced in newspapers the next day; the Draft Lottery is a televised event that is followed closely by the entire league, with prominent basketball media members live-tweeting the event and recording their podcasts soon after.

How and when to watch?

If you want to join the excitement and watch the event, how can you do so? The 2022 NBA Draft Lottery will take place in Chicago, Illinois tonight, Tuesday, May 17th at 8:00pm ET. ESPN will air the event, which is occurring just prior to the start of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics.

The drawing of the ping pong balls that determines each team’s order will happen prior to the event, and the order will be announced live at 8:00pm. Generally, it is the NBA’s Deputy Commissioner, Mark Tatum, announcing the order. Each team gets to send an on-stage representative to the event, and the Cavs have sent beloved former big man Anderson Varajao to bring them good luck.