Minnesota Timberwolves win NBA draft lottery and 2020 No. 1 pick
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The Minnesota Timberwolves won the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA draft lottery Thursday night in New Jersey.
The draft lottery — originally scheduled to take place in May but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic — largely determines the futures of the teams hoping for a player to elevate their franchise.
The three teams who finished with the league’s worst records each had a 14 percent chance of winning the No. 1 pick in the lottery: the Golden State Warriors (15-50), the Cleveland Cavaliers (19-46) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (19-45).
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The Timberwolves’ odds prevailed, earning them the top pick in the 2020 NBA draft scheduled to take place on Oct. 16.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to land the first overall pick in this year’s draft, marking only the second time in franchise history,” Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas said in a statement. “We are excited for the possibilities ahead of us to bring in a high caliber player now that we secured the first overall selection.”
Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell, who represented Minnesota at the lottery, said he looks forward “to seeing what Gersson and the front office will do to build upon our 2020-2021 roster.”
“The number one pick is exciting to have, it makes me think back to when Karl (Anthony Towns) and I got drafted 1, 2 in the 2015 draft,” said Russell.
Players on the board that could potentially go No.1 include Georgia freshman Anthony Ewards, NBL Illawarra Hawks’ LaMelo Ball, Dayton redshirt sophomore Obi Toppin and Memphis freshman James Wiseman.
Rounding out the top five picks in the lottery are the Golden State Warriors at No. 2, the Charlotte Hornets at No. 3, the Chicago Bulls at No. 4 and the Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 5 pick.
Contact Analis Bailey at aabailey@usatoday.com or on Twitter @analisbailey.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Minnesota Timberwolves win NBA draft lottery and 2020 No. 1 pick