CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Hornets went into Sunday's NBA draft lottery with slim hopes of getting the No. 1 selection in this year's draft but had to settle for the sixth pick.
Charlotte had the third-best odds of winning the lottery with a 13% chance. The Atlanta Hawks won the lottery with just a 3% chance. Only one of the four worst teams from the 2023-2024 season landed a top-four selection -- the Washington Wizards won pick No. 2.
It's almost the opposite scenario that the Hornets faced in the 2023 lottery. The Hornets entered the 2023 lottery with the fourth-best odds of winning the draft and ended up with the No. 2 pick. With that choice, Charlotte chose forward Brandon Miller, who finished third in NBA Rookie of the Year voting.
The Hornets finished the 2023-24 season with a 21-61 record and ranked near the bottom of the league in nearly every offensive and defensive category. Charlotte parted ways with head coach Steve Clifford at the end of the season and saw a new ownership group come in to manage the team during the year.
Charles Lee, an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics, was hired to be the next Hornets head coach.
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