Predicting the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery

May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown (right) poses with NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum after the 76ers receive the first pick in the 2016 NBA draft during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

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Trying to predict the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery way too soon

As the old adage goes in sports these days, why linger too long on events that just happened when you can already start looking ahead? That even applies on Tuesday night after the Philadelphia 76ers won the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery to earn the No. 1 overall pick.

The Sixers still have a substantial decision to make moving forward as they could take either Ben Simmons out of LSU or Brandon Ingram out of Duke. Either way, the Sixers have a chance to take another high-quality prospect as they’ve been mired in sadness and failure for several years at this point.

However, the big question when it comes to the Sixers is just how much better they’re going to be moving forward. Obviously they are moving in a different direction after the firing of Sam Hinkie, but the real question is whether or not that Simmons or Ingram in addition to Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, and maybe even Joel Embiid will be enough to carry them out of the NBA Draft Lottery moving forward.

That same question can be asked of every team in the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery. Will what they do in the draft and this offseason be enough to pull them out of the lottery?

Though we can’t know for sure, we can take what we know and make an all too early prediction as to which teams will comprise the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery.

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