The NBA has done a lot to try to prevent teams from tanking for higher draft picks. In recent years they reduced the odds of getting the first pick if you have the worst record in the league and also introduced the play-in tournament so two more teams in each conference have something to play for.
Still, seven teams are currently tanking right now. Those teams are the Hornets, Rockets, Wizards, Spurs, Blazers, Pistons, and Jazz. Yeah, even the Jazz are tanking when they’re just 1.5 games out of the final play-in spot in the West.
The reason these teams are tanking is because of the incredible talent at the top of the draft, which some people have called “the best draft class ever”. Featured in this draft class is Scoot Henderson, who is an elite point or shooting guard who would go No. 1 in just about any other recent draft.
The reason Henderson is slated to go No. 2 is because Victor Wembanyama has been claimed as the “best prospect ever”. Not the best prospect since Lebron, but ever. He is 7’4″ and has been compared to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar but he can also handle the ball and shoot from three effectively.
These seven teams are all hoping to land the No. 1 pick but No. 2 is also a great consolation prize.
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