Title: Why Evan Mobley is a great fit with the Raptors in the Nos. 2-4 range of the NBA Draft
Date: June 9, 2021
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I broke down Evan Mobley’s fit with the Raptors if they pick in the Nos. 2-4 range of the NBA Draft.
The way the NBA chooses to reveal the selection order for the top 14 picks in the draft is designed with the highest peak of anticipation in mind. Revealing the teams from No. 14 backwards to No. 1, the broadcast slowly discards low-probability teams or the smallest of sliders. If you’re a team moving up, you only know that at first, not where you’ll pick. The crescendo is, effectively, the No. 2 pick, revealing the No. 1 pick by process of elimination.
This can have a bit of a strange effect on invested viewers.
Consider a situation where you have the seventh-best odds in the lottery, thereby giving you a 7.5-percent chance at the No. 1 pick and a 31.9-percent chance at a top-four pick. You feel momentary relief when deputy commissioner Mark Tatum reveals the No. 8 pick — the likeliest single landing spot — will not go to your team. Then No. 7 passes by, confirming that you’ve moved into the top four.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 