Instant Reaction: 3 ways the shocking NBA draft lottery results impact Nuggets future

The 2024 NBA Draft Lottery took place on Sunday afternoon ahead of the Knicks at Pacers second-round matchup on ABC. The lottery determines the order for the top 14 picks of the upcoming NBA draft next month. The results sent shockwaves through the NBA.

The big shocker and biggest winner has to be the Atlanta Hawks, who secured the #1 overall pick in the draft while having the 10th best odds - only 3%. On the other end of the spectrum, the Detroit Pistons have to be seen as the big losers, having now finished with the worst record in the league in back-to-back years, but ending up with only the 5th overall pick in consecutive drafts - their worst possible outcome.

Obviously, the Nuggets are still battling in the playoffs, and the draft lottery is far from their minds at the moment. But the results still have a major effect on some competing teams in the Western Conference. Everything that happens around the NBA tends to have an indirect impact on almost every other team, and the Nuggets are no exception.

So on the surface, the lottery may not have appeared to be particularly consequential for the Nuggets. But here are three ways that Sunday’s results could alter the future of the Denver Nuggets.