The NBA Draft Lottery will take place at 6:30 p.m. CT Tuesday on ESPN, and for the first time in a while Alabama fans will have a reason to tune in. Former Alabama point guard Collin Sexton is projected to become the Crimson Tide’s first lottery pick since 1995 when forward Antonio McDyess was selected No. 2 overall by the Los Angeles Clippers.
Most NBA mock drafts project Sexton to fall anywhere between the No. 8 and No. 12 picks, but that could change depending on how things shake out in the lottery. Here are five teams that could be in a position to draft the five-star point guard.
New York Knicks
Could the “Young Bull” be headed to the “Big Apple?” New York certainly wouldn’t be a bad landing spot for Sexton in terms of commercial value and endorsements. However, he could also help fill some needs for the Knicks on the court as well.
New York drafted 6-foot-5, 190-pound point guard Frank Ntilikina with the No. 8 overall pick last year. The Belgian native averaged just 5.9 points and 3.2 assists per game and doesn’t appear suited to play point guard at the NBA level. Sexton, 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, would better fill that role and could fit in nicely with the Knicks’ other pieces. Given his ability to drive to the lane, Sexton would be able to open up the floor for New York’s 3-point threats, including All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis.
Where they’ll pick: New York has an 81.3 percent chance of landing the No. 9 pick. The Knicks’ next likeliest spot is at No. 10 (12.12 percent) followed by No. 4 (5.7 percent), No. 3 (2.4 percent), No. 2 (2 percent) and No. 1 (1.7 percent). Assuming New York doesn’t move into the top four, the Knicks might be in a spot where Sexton is the best available player left on the board.
Cleveland Cavaliers
This has the potential of being a dream scenario for Sexton. Despite playing in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Cleveland Cavaliers will have a lottery pick as they acquired the Brooklyn Nets unprotected first-round pick in a trade that sent point guard Kyrie Irving to Boston last offseason. That creates the possibility of Sexton teaming up with LeBron James as the Cavs’ next point guard.
It’s unknown whether or not James will still be in Cleveland next season. However, the addition of a playmaker like Sexton would be an enticing reason to stay. The aggressive point guard has been compared to Irving by Alabama head coach Avery Johnson and would have the potential to form another title-winning tandem with James. One snag might be James’ possible preference for Trae Young, with the four-time MVP expressing his admiration of the Oklahoma point guard on multiple occasions.
Where they’ll pick: Cleveland has a 72.5 percent chance of getting the No. 8 pick and a 16.8 percent chance of getting the No. 9 pick. The Cavaliers also have a small chance of landing in the top 3 with a 3.9 percent chance at No. 3 followed by a 3.3 percent chance at No. 2 and a 2.8 percent shot at the top pick. If Cleveland lands at either No. 8 or No. 9, it might have to make the decision between Sexton and Young.
Orlando Magic
When you start looking at teams where Sexton could make an immediate impact, Orlando is near the top of the list. The Magic desperately need a point guard with neither D.J. Augustine or Shelvin Mack serving as a viable option for the future.
Augustine is 30 and ranked No. 33 among point guards in real plus-minus, according to ESPN. Mack is 28 and also isn’t what the Magic is looking for to compliment young big-men Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac. With a budding frontcourt of the future already in place, it makes sense for Orlando to take Sexton, even if it has to reach a little bit.
Where they’ll pick: Orlando’s two most likely drafting spots are No. 6 (35.9 percent) or No. 5 (26.2 percent). However, the Magic have a more realistic chance of landing a top-3 spot than the previous teams mentioned. The next likeliest spot is at No. 3 (10.6 percent) followed by No. 2 (9.6 percent), No. 1 (8.8 percent) and No. 7 (8.4 percent). Despite its need at point guard, Orlando won’t select Sexton inside the top 3. Although, he’d be worth considering at No. 5-8.
Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia selected point guard Markelle Fultz with the No. 1 overall pick of last year’s draft, but could the 76ers still be in the market for another playmaker at the position? Fultz played in just 14 games as a rookie after suffering from a shoulder injury that appeared to lead to a shooting hitch in his jump shot. While it’s too soon for the 76ers to give up on Fultz, Sexton could serve as a nice insurance plan if the former Washington star doesn’t live up to his potential.
The idea of pairing Sexton’s scoring ability and quickness with Ben Simmons is probably too enticing regardless of what Philadelphia has returning at the position. The only question is whether or not Sexton will still be on the board when the 76ers are on the clock.
Where they’ll pick: Philadelphia will get the Lakers first-round pick, assuming it doesn’t land anywhere from No. 2-5 in the draft, in which case it would go to the Boston Celtics. The most likely scenario has the 76ers ending up with the No. 10 pick at 87 percent. Next is the No. 11 pick at 8.9 percent. In both cases, it would make sense to take Sexton if he was still on the board. There is still a 1.1 percent chance Philadelphia lands the No. 1 overall pick which would rule out Sexton.
Los Angeles Clippers
Another big stage for Sexton would be in Los Angeles as the athletic point guard could be an option for the Clippers who figure to have two picks in the lottery. In fact, Los Angeles might end up with back-to-back picks at No. 13 and No. 14 which would make it hard for the Clippers to pass up on a talent such as Sexton if he was still available.
In Los Angeles, Sexton would have the opportunity to develop his game behind starting point guard Patrick Beverly. Like Sexton, Beverley is known for his intensity on the court which would make for an easy transition as the Alabama star develops into the Clippers plans in the future.
Where they’ll pick: Los Angeles has less than a 1 percent chance of landing a top-3 pick with its most likely destination coming at No. 13 at 96 percent. The Clippers also have the Detroit Pistons' pick, assuming it falls outside the top-3. More than likely, that will be the case as it has a 93.5 percent chance of landing the No. 12 pick. In both cases, Sexton would be hard to pass up.
