The 2019 NBA Draft Lottery will transpire on Tuesday, May 14, and the New York Knicks will play a prominent part. A look at how to watch the proceedings.
After a 17-65 season and a long wait for the future, the New York Knicks will finally learn where they select in the 2019 NBA Draft on Tuesday, with the official draft lottery taking place. 14 NBA teams will head to Chicago, IL to learn their fate for June’s selection show.
The lottery is first checkpoint of the offseason. While there are still two rounds remaining in the playoffs, the NBA starts early with unveiling the order of the first 14 picks. It precedes the combine, also taking place in Chicago, which lets draft prospects showcase themselves for prospective teams.
The lottery’s focus, of course, moves to who claims the first overall pick. In 2018, the Phoenix Suns had the worst record and a 25 percent chance to win. They did so and selected Deandre Ayton from Arizona.
Just where do the Knicks fall in the full lottery odds for Tuesday’s show, though? The odds have changed starting with 2019, so there is a three-way tie for the highest chance at the No. 1 pick:
- New York Knicks: 14 percent
- Phoenix Suns: 14 percent
- Cleveland Cavaliers: 14 percent
- Chicago Bulls: 12.5 percent
- Atlanta Hawks: 10 percent
- Washington Wizards: 9 percent
- New Orleans Pelicans: 6 percent
- Memphis Grizzlies: 6 percent
- Dallas Mavericks: 6 percent
- Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 percent
- Los Angeles Lakers: 2 percent
- Charlotte Hornets: 1 percent
- Miami Heat: 1 percent
- Sacramento Kings 1 percent
The silver lining for the Knicks: they can’t fall more than four spots in the final order, so their draft floor is fifth overall.
Still, the eyes are on the prize, Zion Williamson. Perceived as this class’s top prospect, the former Duke star is expected to be in Chicago for the lottery, potentially to speak with whoever wins the lottery, whether it’s the Knicks, Cavaliers, Suns or someone else.
Projected No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson of Duke University (@DukeMBB) is expected to be in Chicago tomorrow night with family members when the NBA draft lottery takes place at 8:30 PM (ET), according to a school official
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 13, 2019
A look at how to watch the draft lottery is below, including the time, television info and alternate ways to view this groundbreaking night:
Date: Tuesday, May 14
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Chicago, IL
TV info: ESPN
Other: WatchESPN and ESPN app
The advertised time is 8:30 p.m. ET, but the lottery starting some time afterward is realistic. Still, it is worth tuning in for any NBA fan interested in how the top of the draft order unfolds.
The New York Knicks will hope for their own lottery luck, last winning it in 1985, when Patrick Ewing became the pick. 34 years later, can they strike gold?