Philadelphia 76ers Tanking Perfectly Down The Stretch

A short time ago, the Philadelphia 76ers started doing exactly what they shouldn’t be doing with the season winding down; winning games after stealing four out of seven during a short stretch in March.

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The Sixers have spent the entire season entrenched among the NBA’s bottom-feeders and despite Sam Hinkie completely revamping the roster in hopes of losing now for the benefit of the future. Philly has managed to get out-tanked by not only one, but two teams. With only four games remaining on this season’s slate, the Sixers’ 18-60 record is good for third-worst in the NBA behind the 15-62 New York Knicks and the 16-60 Minnesota Timberwolves.

Third worst with a small handful of games remaining isn’t the most ideal circumstance for a team with desires for the top overall draft pick, but after putting what could be considered winning ways for the 76ers behind them after snagging five wins in March, Philly looks to be back on track and is once again tanking perfectly down the stretch after losing six-straight.

At this point, Philadelphia’s position in the NBA standings leaves them with the third highest percentage possibility of landing the coveted No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft at .156 percent. This isn’t where the Sixers want to be. Being the third worst team also leaves Philly with a .157 percent shot at the second pick and .156 percent chance of landing the third overall pick.

With these odds, Philly would be left with a 46.9 percent possibility of landing one of the first three picks in the draft lottery. The Sixers’ most likely pick comes at No. 5 with a 26.5 percent chance, which would come as an unfortunate position to be in on draft night to say the least after the season Philadelphia has trudged through.

Apr 4, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown reacts to a play during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Hornets defeated the 76ers 92-91. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

With four games remaining, the Sixers’ current placement among the NBA standings is far from a lock, as they could end up improving to fourth worst behind the 20-56 Kobe Bryant-less Los Angeles Lakers with a few wins and some Lakers losses.

But this would be the complete opposite of beneficial for Philadelphia, as it would not only hurt their chances of landing the highest pick possible, but it would also increase the Lakers chances of remaining in the top five, which would result in Philly being unable to convey the top five protected pick that would be due to them from L.A.

On the other hand, with some luck and help from the Knicks and T-Wolves, the Sixers could jump up to either of the top two positions in terms on the lottery odds, as they’re only 2.5 games behind New York and one game behind Minnesota.

Now, of course, just as noted by Trevor Magnotti of The Sixer Sense, Philly failing to win the lottery and being left with a pick that’s No. 3 pick or later could ultimately be the best-case scenario, as the consensus top two prospects in the draft – Jahlil Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns are both centers and the Sixers have exhausted their top picks in the past two drafts on centers Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid.

But whether it would put the Sixers’ upside-crazed general manager Hinkie in a tough position or not, there’s no question Philly would much rather be faced with a difficult choice at No. 1 or No. 2 than being left with the remains at a potential fifth pick.

As you can see, there’s still some work for the Sixers to do down the stretch to assure they get to handpick the potential future of the franchise they seek in this year’s draft. For the most part, they’ve taken care of business with the season winding down, as Philly has lost six-straight and eight out of nine, which includes two losses to the Lakers and a loss to the Knicks.

In reality, the biggest hurdle in Philadelphia’s pursuit of the top pick lies within just how successful New York and Minnesota have been at being terrible at basketball, with the Timberwolves dropping six-straight, as well, while the Knicks have lost nine of 10.

Regardless of circumstance, this is embarrassing, even for the Sixers.
— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) April 6, 2015

With three of their final four games coming against playoff-bound teams — with the one exception being the Miami Heat, who are one game outside of the eighth spot – it’s very likely the Sixers close their season on a 10-game losing streak and fail to surpass last season’s win total of 19.

This is just what the Sixers should want. They’re only four games away from concluding year two of a complete rebuild with so much to possibly lose or gain based on how these next few matches go, there’s no reason to try and compile a couple extra wins and chance being stuck with less than a 50 percent chance at a top three pick, which is where Philly currently sits.

Just keep on losing Philadelphia. It’s for the best.

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