Coming into the 2022/23 season, there was some concern that the presence of Scoot Henderson and (especially) Victor Wembanyama at the top of the 2023 draft class could result in some pretty aggressive tanking from the bottom third of the NBA’s teams.
It hasn’t played out that way so far though, due to a competitive race for the top 10 spots in each conference. In the West, the top 13 teams all either hold a playoff or play-in spot or are no more than 1.5 games back of the No. 10 seed. It’s not quite as congested in the East, but the conference’s 13th team is only four games out of a play-in spot.
As a result, there have been only four teams in full-on “race for Wembanyama” mode, and one of those four clubs hasn’t exactly been in tanking mode as of late, winning its last four games. Here’s what the bottom of the NBA’s standings look like as of Sunday morning:
- Houston Rockets (13-46)
- San Antonio Spurs (14-47)
- Detroit Pistons (15-46)
- Charlotte Hornets (19-43)
- Orlando Magic (25-36)
- Indiana Pacers (27-35)
- Chicago Bulls (27-33)
- Los Angeles Lakers (28-32)
- (tie) Portland Trail Blazers / Oklahoma City Thunder / Washington Wizards (28-31)
Given that the odds for the No. 1 pick are the same for each of the NBA’s three worst teams, it seemed as if we’d get a four-team race for those three spots at the bottom of the standings. But the Hornets have won their last four games and appear far better positioned to continue getting victories than the Rockets (losers of eight in a row and 23 of their last 26), the Spurs (losers of 15 in a row and 21 of 22), and the Pistons (losers of four in a row and seven of their last eight).
Of course, if the Hornets were to play .500 ball the rest of the way, they’d still end up with just 29 wins, so they may end up with the NBA’s fourth-worst record even if they finish strong. After all, the Bulls, Lakers, Trail Blazers, and Wizards all seem motivated to make the play-in.
The Magic, Pacers, and Thunder are perhaps candidates for stealth end-of-season tanks in order to secure top-five lottery odds, since none of those clubs expected to be a playoff team this season. But they’ve been competitive all season and would probably have to start ruling out some of their top players due to injuries if they want to start winning less often (similar to what Portland did last year).
As for the race to the bottom among the NBA’s three worst teams, it’s hard to bet against the Rockets, who also finished with the league’s worst record in 2021 and 2022. But the Spurs are giving them a run for their money with their recent stretch of futility, posting an abysmal -15.8 net rating during their 15-game current losing streak. And the Pistons seem happy to experiment with new lineups while incorporating recently added players.
We want to know what you think. How will the race for lottery positioning play out the rest of the way? Which team will finish as the NBA’s worst? Has the Hornets’ recent success locked them into the fourth spot in the lottery standings? Are there any teams with 25 or more wins that you expect to go into full-on tank mode in the coming days or weeks?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in!
We are not walking into nba tanking era
Does tanking work in the NBA?
Rockets are the most recent example of a team trading their stars and embracing a tank.
does that mean tanking is a surefire way to build a contender? No
The sixers think it worked.
Just keep trusting the process.
I’m highly interested in Orlando. They can still definitely push for a play-in spot. But what I want the most is for them to get 2 top 5 picks so that they can draft the Thompson twins
I still see the Lakers are a championship contender and should not be included in the list
They are in no way a threat to the championship.
You also see a leprechaun every time there is a rainbow.
The Lakers do not have their 1st round pick, correct? So they wouldn’t be racing to the bottom.
Because lebron is just padding stats that’s why
Actually they do, it’s a pick swap with the Pelicans but nonetheless, they have a 2023 first round pick.
They have a pick swap this year, with NO deciding who gets what.
Rockets get the 1st pick after having the worst record in the league again they get Victor then have a foundation of Victor, jalen green, alpy and jabari. Silas gets the axe and thanked for his job running the tankathon for 3 years and the rockets actually start trying to win. Or Tilman is still cheap and they trade everyone including the number 1 pick for luxury tax savings
And Tilman is saving up for the money he is bidding on the Washington Commanders.
The Rockets don’t automatically get the first pick just because they have the worst record.
Except for LAL, WSH and CHI, all of the teams mentioned (plus UTH) have been (and continue to be) in full on tank mode. There’s no accounting for what professional coaches and players might do, even winning games, but it doesn’t change the fact that the FO designed the team to lose.
This is a good draft for all bottom teams.
I wonder what happens with Miller now. He might not get drafted.
Hornets actually thought they’d be a playoff team this year. Don’t know if that means they deserve the top pick more or less though, ha
I’d love to see Victor play for Pop…