NEW ORLEANS — On May 14, the small night staff of WDSU, the NBC affiliate here, gathered around a TV to watch the NBA draft lottery. The Pelicans, coming off a tumultuous 33-49 season, were tied with two other franchises for the seventh-best odds of landing the No. 1 pick, just 6%.
“I said I would watch the lottery and go home, and we’ll talk about pick No. 7 or No. 8 the next day,” said Fletcher Mackel, WDSU’s longtime Pelicans reporter, who had arrived at the office after another assignment. The Pelicans, of course, landed the first pick and the right to select Zion Williamson, the Duke superstar whose ability has led to comparisons to LeBron James.