Now a good sample size into the NBA season, the league’s worst have begun to solidify. Luckily for those teams, their record could now come attached with a 7-foot-4 French phenom.
While most teams are battling for the best Playoffs positioning available, others will soon be grappling for the best 2023 Draft odds. Here are the current reverse standings, as well as a Tankathon spin to see where prospects could land:
1. Detroit Pistons, 7-22
After losing Cade Cunningham for the foreseeable future, there’s already been rumblings of the Pistons offloading veteran pieces like Bogdan Bogdanovic and more.
Sitting at a league-worst 7-22, make no mistake, the Pistons will be major players for Victor Wembanayama. And they’ll be able to develop players like Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren in the process.
2. Charlotte Hornets, 7-20
After getting off to a hotter start than the rest of the league’s worst, the Hornets have now come back down to earth and are a solid player in the race for No. 1.
Charlotte has plenty of pieces that can win basketball games right now, but they’re not meshing and they’re still without one of the top guards in the NBA in LaMelo Ball.
Come draft night, I’d expect the Hornets to hold no less than a top-5 selection.
3. Orlando Magic, 8-20
The Magic may be a bottom-3 team at the moment, but they’re riding a 3-game win-streak following the return of No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero.
The Magic could likely pull some strings and opt for the Wembanyama route, but something tells me they’ll be fine with winning late-season games at the benefit of developing their current core of Banchero, Franz Wagner and more.
T4. Houston Rockets, 8-18
T4. San Antonio Spurs, 8-18
6. Washington Wizards, 11-16
T7. Oklahoma City Thunder, 11-15
T7. Los Angeles Lakers, 11-15
9. Miami Heat, 12-15
10. Toronto Raptors, 13-14
T11. Minnesota Timberwolves, 13-13
T11. Dallas Mavericks, 13-13
13. Utah Jazz, 15-14
14. New York Knicks, 14-13
Mock Tankathon Spin in accordance with the Draft Digest consensus Big Board:
1. Detroit Pistons: Victor Wembanyama
2. Charlotte Hornets: Scott Henderson
3. Houston Rockets: Amen Thompson
4. Washington Wizards: Cam Whitmore
5. Orlando Magic: Nick Smith Jr.
6. San Antonio Spurs: Ausar Thompson
7. Oklahoma City Thunder: Brandon Miller
8. Orlando Magic (From Chicago): Keyonte George
9. New Orleans Pelicans: (From Los Angeles) Cason Wallace
10. Miami Heat: Anthony Black
11. Toronto Raptors: Jarace Walker
12. New York Knicks (From Dallas): GG Jackson
13. Utah Jazz (From Minnesota): Dariq Whitehead
14. Utah Jazz: Kyle Filipowski
Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
For a free account and access to Cerebro Sports, the largest Basketball Player Database in the world, sign up here.
.