The season of the Ben Simmons sweepstakes has officially arrived.

The NBA Draft Lottery kicks off Tuesday night with the Los Angeles Lakers having a 20 percent chance of landing the top overall pick and earning the right to learn if Simmons might ultimately be able to fill Kobe Bryant's shoes.

The former LSU star is widely seen as the crown jewel of the draft lottery, set to air on ESPN beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Duke freshmen star Brandon Ingram is also among the most highly rated stars.

Philadelphia Owns Best Shot of Being No. 1

By virtue of again ending the regular season with the league's worst record, the Philadelphia 76ers stand the best chance of winning the top prize, owning a 25 percent chance of finishing with the No. 1 pick.

After Simmons and Ingram, the remaining draft class is widely seen as underwhelming, but that hasn't stopped the 14 lottery teams who own the night from walking into it with their versions of the league's best laid plans.

After the Sixers and the Lakers, Boston (15.6 percent), Phoenix (11.9 percent), Minnesota (8.8 percent) and New Orleans (6.3 percent) have the best chance of nabbing the top prize. Rounding out the top 10 are Denver (4.3 percent), Sacramento (1.9 percent), Toronto (1.9 percent) and Milwaukee (1.8 percent).

From top to bottom, the point guard spot probably rates as the draft's strongest, with Providence's Kris Dunn, Kentucky's Tyler Ulis and Notre Dame's Demetrius Jackson all expected to go relatively early in the first round.

What Will Celtics do?

No matter where their name is called, the Celtics could come to gain the most from this year's draft stemming from their two first round picks and eight overall selections.

Talk is if Boston doesn't have a chance at Simmons they could move to package a combination of players and picks to gain a bonafide superstar along the lines of Oklahoma's Kevin Durant or Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins.

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