Jazz Lottery Odds Take Major Step Forward After Pacers Loss

The Utah Jazz have undoubtedly suffered from their fair share of struggles across the 2024-25 season, but their worst year in franchise history is starting to unravel into paying major dividends.

Now following the Jazz’s recent loss vs. the Indiana Pacers, Utah is locked into their top spot of 14.0% odds to land the number-one overall pick, while also guaranteeing themselves a 52.1% chance at securing a top-four selection.

It’s a huge win for the Jazz despite their season of abundant losses. Some entered the year skeptical of whether Utah would truly dive into the tanking process from the year’s start to finish, but Will Hardy and his group have accomplished the franchise’s big picture task at hand by bottoming out, and guaranteeing themselves some of the best odds for next month’s draft lottery.

The clear prize once the ping-pong balls bounce is clearly Duke’s star projected number one pick Cooper Flagg, and the Jazz will be tied among the three total teams with the best chance to land him. However, there’s many other strong prospects to keep an eye on atop the draft, such as names like Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson, and VJ Edgecombe who sit as the most likely candidates to find themselves within the top five.

For the remainder of Utah’s four games on the season, they’ll still have room for growth in maximizing their lottery odds as well. If the Jazz finish with the NBA’s worst record in the league, it’ll effectively make their worst-case scenario fall to the fifth overall pick if the ping-pong balls fall in such a way.

During a draft that looks centered around its top five prospects, securing that guaranteed top-five lottery placement could be notable. Currently, Utah is 1.5 games ahead of the second-worst Washington Wizards squad, so signs are pointing in the right direction with two weeks to go.

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