Will the Ping Pong Balls Go Right Way for Pistons?

We’re less than a month away from the moment when the 14 NBA franchises that failed to make the playoffs turn their collective hope toward a tube full of Ping-Pong balls.

The NBA Draft Lottery is on May 16. The teams that missed this year’s playoffs are getting excited about their shot at the No. 1 overall pick. The excitement is palpable among Detroit Pistons fans and people who follow Michigan sports betting.

That’s because it is very likely that the team getting the top pick will snag budding star Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft. Wembanyama is a very skilled 7-foot-2 ballhandler and shooter from France.

BetMichigan.com used Tankathon.com to simulate the 2023 NBA Draft to figure out the most likely results of the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery. We simulated the lottery 150 times and came up with the teams that showed up the most in the No. 1 overall pick slot.

From those simulations, BetMichigan.com – your source for Michigan sportsbook apps – had a little fun looking at Detroit’s shot at landing the top overall pick in the draft for the second time in three years.

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Most #1 Picks with Tankathon

Team	Actual Chance at No. 1	No. of Simulations as No. 1	Pct. of Simulations at No. 1
🏀 Detroit Pistons	14%	28	18.7%
🏀 Houston Rockets	14%	21	14%
🏀 San Antonio Spurs	14%	17	11.3%
🏀 Charlotte Hornets	12.5%	15	10%
🏀 Portland Trail Blazers	10.5%	18	12%
🏀 Orlando Magic	9%	10	6.6%
🏀 Indiana Pacers	6.8%	9	6%
🏀 Washington Wizards	6.7%	12	8%
🏀 Utah Jazz	4.5%	9	6%
🏀 Dallas Mavericks	3%	1	0.7%
🏀 Chicago (if top 4)	1.8%	4	2.7%
🏀 Oklahoma City Thunder	1.7%	4	2.7%
🏀 Toronto Raptors	1%	2	1.3%
🏀 New Orleans Pelicans	0.5%	0	0%

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Pistons Among 3 Teams Tied for Top Overall Pick

Fans of the Pistons should feel cautiously optimistic about the franchise’s odds of winning a potential cornerstone prospect in this year’s draft.

Detroit is one of three teams that has the highest odds of landing the top pick in 2023 (14.0%), alongside the Rockets and Spurs.

Also, Detroit actually had the most No. 1 picks of the 150 simulations, landing the top pick 28 times in total, well ahead of the next closest team (Houston, with 21).

The Pistons finished with 18.7% of the No. 1 picks of the 150 simulations that BetMichigan.com conducted, ahead of the Rockets (14.0%), Spurs (11.3%), Trail Blazers (12.0%) and Hornets (10.0%).

With a little good fortune and a few lucky bounces of the lottery balls, the Pistons could find themselves in an enviable place when Michigan NBA betting starts for the 2023 NBA season.

With Detroit posting its lowest year-end winning percentage since 1979-80 (.207), fans of the Pistons will have to hope their luck in the lottery will be better than on the hardwood in 2023.

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