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Sixers have slim chance of moving up in draft lottery

If history holds in the NBA draft lottery, the 76ers have already experienced the most significant jump in terms of positioning for the June draft.

If history holds in the NBA draft lottery, the 76ers have already experienced the most significant jump in terms of positioning for the draft. (Bill Kostroun/AP)
If history holds in the NBA draft lottery, the 76ers have already experienced the most significant jump in terms of positioning for the draft. (Bill Kostroun/AP)Read more

If history holds in the NBA draft lottery, the 76ers have already experienced the most significant jump in terms of positioning for the June draft.

Tied with Toronto for the 11th-worst record in the league at 34-48, the Sixers won a coin flip last month that relegated the Raptors to 12th.

Unless they are extremely lucky and move up, the Sixers will have the 11th selection in the June 27 draft. They will be represented at the draft lottery by majority owner Joshua Harris and CEO Adam Aron on Tuesday night in New York.

The Sixers are one of 14 teams in the lottery, the weighted system in which the NBA determines the order in which teams will draft. Orlando (20-62) has the best chance (25 percent) of winning the first overall pick, followed by Charlotte (19.9 percent) and Cleveland (15.6).

The Sixers have a 0.8 percent chance of winning the top pick, a 0.9 percent chance of moving up to No. 2, and a 1.2 percent chance of gaining the third spot.

Having the best odds in the lottery does not guarantee the first pick. The team with the worst record won the lottery just once in the last 22 years.

The Sixers have a variety of needs to fill and are set at only one position, point guard, where Jrue Holiday was named an all star. Their biggest need is probably at center.

In what is considered a weak draft, Nerlens Noel, a 6-foot-10 206-pound Kentucky freshman center who is recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, is the most highly regarded prospect.