While the Pelicans remain focused on making a run at the playoffs should the regular season continue, missing the playoffs is certainly the more likely possibility. And while it would be a disappointment on many fronts to not make the postseason, returning to the draft lottery offers another chance to add to the team’s already talented young core.
It could also lead to a particularly fascinating outcome regarding Lonzo Ball. While New Orleans will likely figure to have some of the worst odds at the top pick in the lottery, should the team jump into the top three spots, it would present them a very realistic opportunity of pairing Lonzo with younger brother LaMelo.
Primed to be one of the top picks in the 2020 NBA Draft, LaMelo recently talked about the possibility of playing with Lonzo during an interview for Australia GQ.
“It’s the NBA so I will play for any team. To play with Lonzo would be real cool. We talked about that growing up so it’ll be a dream come true.”
Currently, the Pelicans and Kings would need a coin flip to decide which team has the 12th-best odds and which would have the 13th. Both teams, though, would have less than 2.0% odds at moving up to the top pick.
Realistically given the small amount of games in the regular season that will likely be played, it’s hard to see the Pelicans going higher than 10th in the draft lottery. Even then, the odds of moving up to the No. 1 pick are just 3.0% while moving into the top four would be just a 13.9% probability.
But it would certainly be one of the most interesting storylines in some time should the Pelicans have the opportunity to pair the Ball brothers back up again. The last time LaMelo and Lonzo played on the same team was at Chino Hills in the latter’s senior year. That season ended with an undefeated record and a state title. While an undefeated season is obviously off the table, the Ball brothers could potentially lead another team to a title.
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