2021 NBA draft lottery: Live stream, broadcast info, what to watch for on Tuesday

Ben DuBose
·3 min read
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In the most important date on the 2021 calendar to the Houston Rockets, the NBA will hold its annual draft lottery on Tuesday night. The event finalizes the pick order for the NBA’s 2021 rookie draft on July 29.

After finishing with the league’s worst record (17-55) in the 2020-21 regular season, the Rockets have the maximum possible odds for a top selection. However, those odds are not as strong as they used to be, thanks to the NBA’s recently revised lottery weighting percentages — designed to disincentivize tanking schemes for higher draft picks.

Moreover, the stakes are even higher for the Rockets than most teams. That’s because Oklahoma City has a right to swap Miami’s first-round draft pick for the Houston selection should the Rockets not finish in the lottery’s top four. That top-four-protected pick swap was obtained in the Chris Paul-Russell Westbrook trade from July 2019.

As a result, Houston will either select in the draft’s top four, which would mean obtaining a prized rookie prospect such as Cade Cunningham, Jalen Suggs, Evan Mobley or Jalen Green … or the Rockets will tumble all the way to Miami’s spot at No. 18. It’s virtually a coin-flip scenario, with 52.1% odds of a top-four pick and 47.9% of falling to No. 18.

Here’s when and how to watch the lottery reveal:

  • Date: Tuesday, June 22

  • Time: 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CT

  • TV Channel: ESPN

  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free) or via Watch ESPN, with active subscription

Because the Rockets finished with the NBA’s worst record, the floor for their pick is No. 5 overall. As a result, there’s not a ton to monitor during the early stages of the draft lottery’s dramatic reveal, which begins with No. 14. In fact, it’ll be quite simple: If a Houston logo comes out of the envelope shown when the countdown reaches No. 5, they will fall to No. 18 overall once Oklahoma City formally notifies the league of its intent to swap picks. If it is another team’s logo, the Rockets will select somewhere in the top four, and Houston will retain that pick.

The order of the top-four selections will be revealed after a commercial break, but fans in Houston would be able to exhale if they learn the doomsday scenario of falling to No. 18 is no longer possible.

Factoring in the pick swap and the automatic conversion of No. 5 to No. 18, here are the exact percentage odds of each pick for the Rockets:

  • No. 1: 14.0%

  • No. 2: 13.4%

  • No. 3: 12.7%

  • No. 4: 11.9%

  • No. 18: 47.9%

Hall of Fame center and two-time NBA champion Hakeem Olajuwon, who was the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Rockets in 1984, will be on scene at the draft lottery as Houston’s official representative.

For a franchise desperately needing its next foundation piece after the forced departure of James Harden, it’s only fitting the most beloved player in team history is there as a good-luck charm.

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