I love the NBA. It has been my favorite sports league to watch since I was 7, and I can remember my earliest days of falling in love with the fast-paced, free-flowing game as if it were yesterday.
This year, however, I find myself increasingly frustrated with the quality of play – but not in the way most are. Aesthetically, I don’t think there has ever been a greater time in basketball. There are unprecedented levels of diversity in skill set, scheme, and versatility that constantly inspire me to flip on a random League Pass game in my free time.
However, at least eight teams are actively trying to lose: the Jazz, Wizards, Kings, Nets, Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Bulls. The Jazz are the most blatant, as they started their tank in December. They have been under fire recently for pulling stars Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen in the second half, essentially waving the white flag for all fans to see. This isn’t what anyone wants.
Tanking is ruining the quality of the NBA experience (and the Hawks' draft pick)
The Wizards have been more creative in their tanking, with a report surfacing that former Hawk Trae Young could be shut down for the season, despite nursing a relatively minor injury. This report was quickly edited to remove the strongest verbiage, but the receipts still remain.
The Kings have given the keys to rookie Nique Clifford and recent two-way callup Dylan Cardwell, rather than their $115 million trio of Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, and DeMar DeRozan. While this is understandable from a developmental standpoint, it is a little ridiculous to see Clifford play 37 minutes while DeRozan only saw 19 minutes in their battle of the bad against the New Orleans Pelicans.
While it is a smart strategy to tank, it creates a poor NBA product and punishes teams who wisely traded for picks that could be valuable. The Pelicans are, without a doubt, the worst team in the NBA. They sank to the bottom of the standings despite trying to win in a crowd of teams trying to lose.
Atlanta wisely took the opportunity to add this pick to its arsenal, but alas, the tanking teams will be better at losing than the Pels will be. New Orleans has dropped from second to fourth on the lottery leaderboard, and don’t expect them to drop back down.
Adam Silver and the league office have to address this. When the buzz around the league is about who isn’t playing, you know you have a serious problem on your hands.