The NBA standings in 2014 will play out in the draft lottery this summer and players like Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Julius Randle and Australian guard Dante Exum are considered the top player picks in some mock drafts and that means teams like the LA Lakers, Boston Celtics, Sixers, Bucks and Jazz will be in the mix to win the lottery and draft those names.
The Lakers picked the perfect time to be terrible and to have a first round pick that they haven't traded away, as this is the most talented draft in years and compared to last season, it's not even close. The same thing happened with the NFL this year and last year, as some of the players in the top 10 last year would not have been been first round picks this year and this goes for the NBA as well, as Anthony Bennett likely would not have been in the top 10 at all if names like Parker, Wiggins and Randle were around.
Heading into the season it looked as if Parker and Wiggins would be the two players that teams were going to fight over at the top of the draft and that looks like it will play out. Randle and Embiid also could be in the mix as a top pick and those four names along with Exum could be the top five overall picks in the NBA draft when things pick up in June. The Lakers may not win the lottery, but if they are in the top five they will have a chance at getting one of those players, while the Bucks and Sixers are also in the mix.
The NBA standings to end the season had the Bucks as the worst team with 15 wins, with the Sixers second worst, followed by the Magic, Jazz, Celtics and Lakers, while the Kings and Pistons were next on the list. The past few years the worst team in the league has not won the lottery, meaning the Celtics, Magic and Lakers all could be in the mix to do it and if LA won, it would be an amazing stroke of luck. The team needs a new star to take over for Kobe Bryant and the choice between Parker and Wiggins could be the next Kevin Durant vs. Greg Oden and Michael Jordan vs. Sam Bowie debate.
Wiggins and Parker declared for the draft after their freshman seasons at Kansas and Duple and now both players have opted not to join in at the NBA combine, as both players do not need any help to boost their draft stocks. Randle and Exum will be at the combine and it starts on Thursday, but ESPN.com reports that the main two stars along with Embiid are likely skipping the workout. ESPN.com also writes that the number one pick last season in Anthony Bennett also skipped the combine and if Wiggins is number one, it would make it two Canadian players in a row.
