An early look at the 2018 NBA Draft tanking race in the Eastern Conference
By Max Holm
After looking at the early tank race in the West for the 2018 NBA Draft, we turn our attention to the East, which might have the league’s two worst teams.
It’s never to early to think about the 2018 NBA Draft. From top prospects to which teams seem poised to potentially land the top pick, there’s a lot to keep track of already. Sure the college basketball season has yet to begin, but that’s only right around the corner.
The NBA, on the other hand, is already a few healthy weeks into its season. While much of the attention has, and should, focused on who has had good starts, like the Orlando Magic, we’re going to focus on the opposite side of the spectrum.
We’ve already taken a look at the worst teams in the West to start the season, fixating on who are prime tanking candidates and who is just plain bad. And then there are teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, who are definitely not tanking, since they can’t keep their draft pick, and are looking better than advertised.
The bottom of the West seems to have three strong tanking contenders: the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns (though they’re starting to win with a head coaching change) and Sacramento Kings.
Interestingly enough, at least-record wise, the East hasn’t been as bad as it was made out to be. With so much player movement over the summer, there were expectations for the East to be a tanking race of its own.
Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Carmelo Anthony, Paul Millsap and almost every competent rotation player on the Bulls leaving will certainly weaken a conference. Early signs may indicate otherwise, but expect the East to still be heavily involved in 2018’s tank-off.
The bottom of the Eastern Conference
The two biggest surprises in the East might revolve around who isn’t at the bottom of the standings. Heading into Nov. 3’s slate of games, the Orlando Magic are 6-2 and the Indiana Pacers are 5-3. Those records include wins over the San Antonio Spurs (twice), Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers (twice) and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Now, should we expect them to make the playoffs? It’s probably too early to tell. Roster constructions would lean toward no. However, it seems from these early days that they probably won’t be sitting at the bottom of their conference either.
On the flip side, we’ve seen the New York Knicks hovering around .500, as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have just looked like a mess. Don’t worry, the Cavaliers aren’t tanking and should comfortably make the playoffs, but the NBA Finals are a whole other story. The Knicks will be interesting to track, but don’t rule them out of being close to the bottom.
In discussing the West, we mentioned how much of an enigma the Lakers are. They don’t have their pick, have looked awful for large stretches, but have also looked good in some solid wins, such as against the Wizards. The East’s version of the Lakers, ironically, is the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets also don’t have their own pick and want to win as many games as possible. They’re invested in developing their young core around D’Angelo Russell. Still, Cleveland will certainly hope the Nets keep picking up losses, as they’re owed Brooklyn’s first round pick.
The Hawks and the Bulls
Once you pass the New York teams however, you get the holy grail of the NBA’s tanking race. This year’s heavyweights are the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls. The Bulls were always likely for this fate after trading Butler. With Zach LaVine hurt and Kris Dunn struggling, their newfound core isn’t going to light it up immediately.
Chicago might be the favorite to house the NBA’s worst team, but don’t count out the Hawks. The one thing going against the Hawks staying at the bottom of the NBA is their coach. Mike Budenholzer is one of the best in the game and his team plays smart and unselfishly. A team with a really smart offense and talented coach may not last in the long run.
However, DeAndre’ Bembry is hurt and they don’t have much in the form of big men. Stranger things have happened, but so far they sit at 1-7, bottom of the East, followed by the 1-5 Chicago Bulls.
Next: 2017-18 Week 3 NBA Power Rankings
The house might bet on Chicago and wouldn’t be wrong to do so. However, we know even the worst team in the league doesn’t always have the worst record. The worst team doesn’t always even win the lottery. We’ll see how these current standings look as we hit the new year.