With most NBA teams having about 15 regular season games left to play, it seems like a good time to assess the lottery situation.
The bottom four teams of the Eastern Conference are well and truly out of the playoff race and their only reason for winning is pride.
Milwaukee boast the worst record in the league with 13 wins and 55 losses. The Bucks are starved of any star players and look like a D-League quality team most of the time.
The emergence of 2013 first round draft pick Giannis Antetokounmpo has been one of the very few upsides in a long season for Milwaukee fans.
Winnable games still to come: Sacramento, L.A Lakers, Detroit, and Cleveland.
Philadelphia is trying very hard to knock Milwaukee off their perch. They are currently sitting with 15 wins and 53 losses. The 76ers have been awful since the start of February.
Philadelphia’s last win came on January 29th against the Celtics. Since then, they have lost 22 straight and I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t win another game this season.
Winnable games still to come: Detroit, and Boston twice.
It isn’t all bad in Orlando, despite their 19-50 record. The Magic have some very solid building blocks in place with Victor Oladipo, Nikola Vucevic, and Tobias Harris all showing very promising signs throughout the season.
I’m sure the Magic would’ve hoped for a better record than they have this season, but adding another high draftee to their roster could boost them up into playoff calculations next season in the very weak Eastern Conference.
Winnable games still to come: Utah, L.A Lakers, and Cleveland.
The Boston Celtics are an interesting case. Their record currently stands at 23 wins and 46 losses, one of the worst records in the league, but they have won the season series against Miami 2-1.
They are the epitome of inconsistency.
While Rajon Rondo is a star, the rest of the team have many question marks. Will Jeff Green ever be a consistent contributor? Is Avery Bradley a bona fide starter? Are Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk the only ones worth keeping around?
Winnable games still to come: Philadelphia twice, Detroit, and Cleveland.
You’d be a fool if you thought for a second that the Eastern Conference is alone when it comes to awful teams.
The Utah Jazz, L.A Lakers, and Sacramento Kings have all been eliminated from the Western Conference Playoff race.
Utah started the season off in terrible fashion, losing 14 of their first 15 games. Since then, it hasn’t improved too much at all. Their current record stands at 22 wins and 47 losses.
Utah have some young pieces that will be worth keeping around; highlighted by Trey Burke and Gordon Hayward.
Winnable games still to come: Orlando, Detroit, and L.A Lakers.
The L.A Lakers are in a sticky situation. They recently signed Kobe Bryant to a huge two-year deal that ties up a massive portion of their salary cap. The rest of the current roster is made up of so-so players fighting for their careers (bar Pau Gasol).
While the Lakers have never truly looked like they’ve tried to lose, they simply don’t have the firepower to win games in this league. Their record of 22 wins and 45 losses proves this.
Winnable game still to come: Orlando, Milwaukee, Sacramento, and Utah.
Sacramento, in my opinion, is the best of the worst. The Kings have some high-quality players. DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay, and Isaiah Thomas are all great players in this league.
One of the biggest problems with the team has been consistency and playing as a team night in, night out. Their record of 24 wins and 44 losses isn’t pretty.
Winnable games still to come: Milwaukee, and L.A Lakers.
The tankathon is well and truly in full flight and with stars such as Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, and Joel Embiid up for grabs, it’s more beneficiary for some teams to lose than win to solidify the future of their franchise.
What team do you think will finish with the worst record in the league?
IanW
Guest
And not one of those players is a sure thing thats worth tanking for.
astro
Guest
Having the worst record in the league doesn't ensure you get the #1 pick, but it does ensure you get a top 4 pick. Similarly, if you finish in the bottom 3, there's a very good chance you land at worst in the 5-6 spot, which in a stacked draft, is what teams like Philly are playing for...not so much getting pick #1, but getting one of picks 1-6 and thereby landing one of Parker, Embiid, Wiggins, Exum, Randle, Gordon, Smart etc
Hayley Wildes
Roar Pro
Cliffclavin, Dante Exum will most likely end up with one of these teams, his favoured destination is the Lakers - but there are no guarantees at all. The bottom team doesn't automatically get the #1 pick. What they do get is a higher chance of receiving the top pick when the lottery comes around. Realistically, all lottery teams have a chance of getting the top pick, but more often than not, one of the bottom five teams end up with the treasured #1 pick.
cliffclavin
Guest
Will our young gun aussie end up at one of these team from this upcoming draft. Also does the bottom team get the number one pick? Would it be better to go with the third or fourth worst....?