Suns, Knicks and Cavaliers fans might not like it much right now, but the NBA draft lottery represented a positive step toward competition and away from dumb luck — and conspiracy theories.
“Can we not tell any more conspiracy stories? This isn’t rigged, right? You’re not writing a conspiracy story, are you?” asked Dennis Hoffman, professor of economics at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.
It’s a good thing that New Orleans, a team that was in the playoff hunt until the final few weeks of the season, ended up winning the chance to select Duke’s Zion Williamson with the top pick, Hoffman said, discussing the results of the first NBA draft under a new lottery system.