New Orleans Pelicans: Lottery odds and current draft position

The New Orleans Pelicans have been teetering between being a playoff contender and a lottery team all season.

They have very much looked both parts at different times during the season, playing like contenders one game only to go back to looking like pretenders in the next.

The Pelicans only have 20 games remaining, and even if they win the majority of them, have no guarantee of even making the play-in games, much less the actual playoffs.

At this point, it is more likely that they end up in the lottery and FiveThirtyEight agrees, giving the Pels just a 26 percent chance of making the playoffs.

But where do they stand heading into the home stretch? Let’s take a look.

What are the New Orleans Pelicans lottery odds and draft position?

With a 23-29 record the New Orleans Pelicans are currently in 11th place in the Western Conference behind the Warriors and just ahead of the free falling Kings.

The Pelicans would currently hold the 11th pick overall if the draft went to scratch, though there is still chance that they could get lucky and move way up as they did when they won the lottery that landed them Zion Williamson.

The Pelicans would have to buck some serious odds at this point, as they have just a 9.4 percent chance of jumping into the top-four of the NBA Draft and a two percent chance of getting the overall number one pick.

Obviously the New Orleans Pelicans would love to make the playoffs so that they can get Zion, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball some run together in high pressure games that matter, but if things don’t work out, adding impact talent in the lottery would be a good consolation prize.

After 52 games we still don’t really know what the New Orleans Pelicans are, so they have 20 left to prove that they are a playoff team or belong back in the lottery.