It’s an attempt to determine if there are principles and outcomes, openly expressed, advocated, by NBA management, that are consistent with highly unlikely NBA Draft Lottery events we’ve witnessed over the past few seasons.

Since 1985, the NBA has used a lottery-style process to determine the first several picks of the league's annual draft. Since the 2019 NBA draft, the format has ensured that the team that finished the regular season with the worst record receives no lower than the fifth pick in that summer's draft.

We officially know the order of the 2025 NBA Draft now that the lottery is concluded, but there is still plenty to learn from the NBA Draft Combine.