On Tuesday night, the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery takes place and reveals which teams will select in which spots for June's NBA Draft. Right now, the Boston Celtics have the best shot at getting the top overall pick, with the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and Orlando Magic also holding strong chances at a top-three pick. Teams will certainly be hoping they can land a top prospect which will feature guards Lonzo Ball and Markelle Fultz, as well as small forward Josh Jackson, and Duke's Jayson Tatum. Here's the latest preview for the special including what time and TV channel the 2017 NBA Draft lottery will be shown on tonight.
How draft order is determined
Back in the older days of professional basketball, the NBA draft order was simply determined by reverse order of win-loss records for the previous season. A "coin flip" actually was used to pick between the two worst teams as of 1966, but in the mid-1980s the league began using a lottery system. It has seen several changes to the format over the years leading to the latest version. In this version, there are 14 teams eligible for the lottery, with each team being assigned a number of chances to get the top pick.
This year, the Boston Celtics have the highest chance at snagging that first pick. For fans wondering why a team that is in the Eastern Conference Finals has this high probability, it's due to a trade made years ago with the Brooklyn Nets.
In that deal, Boston sent two All-Star players, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, to the Nets in exchange for several assets including this year's first-round pick.
As Sports Illustrated has indicated, Boston has a 25 percent chance at this year's top pick, while the Phoenix Suns hold a 19.9 percent chance. The Los Angeles Lakers have a 15.6 percent chance and the Philadelphia 76ers have an 11.9 percent chance.
The Orlando Magic (8.8 percent), Minnesota Timberwolves (5.3 percent), and New York Knicks (5.3 percent) have slim chances to snag a player like Fultz or Ball as the top NBA Draft pick.
How to watch it live tonight
The 2017 NBA Draft Lottery special will be on television via the ESPN channel on cable or satellite. Start time for the show will be 8 p.m.
Eastern Time or 5 p.m. Pacific Time. The show will precede the Spurs vs. Warriors Game 2 of their Western Conference Finals series. There is also live streaming available for tonight's special.
Current cable and satellite subscribers with ESPN as part of their provider package can use the WatchESPN website or any compatible mobile apps to watch the lottery special live streaming online. The SlingTV channel streaming service also provides a way to see tonight's game via live streaming feed and is currently available for one week as a free trial for any new customers.