The 2018 NBA Draft Lottery won’t take place until mid-May and, as such, there is a long evaluation period for the worst teams in the league. With that said, the NBA released its complete 2017-2018 schedule on Monday and, while the top teams were charting a course with an eye on playoff positioning, the dregs of the league should have been laying out the best path to the top of the lottery odds.
Most teams won’t outwardly admit to tracking ping-pong balls, especially in August. However, there are a few teams that clearly project to occupy the territory near the league’s basement and they will match up over the course of an 82-game run to the finish. In this space, we will break down ten games that could decide the odds for grabbing the top spots in the draft lottery and, even if they don’t make or break teams on their own, these games matter for the future of the league.
Let’s roll through what could be a depressing or, potentially, encouraging list for the teams involved.
Hawks @ Bulls – Oct. 26
Let’s get things started on the right foot with a battle between Eastern Conference bottom-dwellers. Atlanta might be fun at times given their young talent but Chicago is, well, not very exciting. This game also takes place within the first two weeks of the campaign so it might be a hideous watch. The Hawks may have a leg up in the tank race here based purely off of Chicago having the best player of the two teams in Dwyane Wade.
Lakers @ Knicks – Dec. 12
The Lakers are on national television all the time and this game against the Knicks is no exception. It should be noted that neither of these teams is exceedingly likely to finish with the worst record in the league. At the same time, both are expected to lose more than they win and this game will have a ton of attention from the two largest cities in the country.
Kings @ Nets – Dec. 20
Merry Christmas, everyone! Okay, this game isn’t actually on Christmas Day but we’ll already be in the holiday spirit. Many projections believe the Kings are the worst team in the West and the Nets are… still the Nets. Brooklyn could be entertaining and Sacramento signed some quality vets but that doesn’t mean this game will matter any less in the tanking race. Oh, and the Nets owe their 2018 first round pick to the Celtics, who might be the best team in the East.
Pacers @ Bulls – Dec. 29
This game takes place between Christmas and New Year’s and everyone is at home to watch it. Indiana might not be quite as bad in the standings as Chicago (or Atlanta… or Brooklyn…) but they may have the most incoherent plan of the bunch. On the bright side, Myles Turner alert!
Magic @ Pacers – Jan. 27
It’s a Saturday night in January and football is basically over. Wouldn’t you like to watch the Magic and the Pacers? Orlando might finally take a step forward this year with a new front office at the helm but, until proven otherwise, it is probably wise to assume they won’t be playoff-bound and the same goes for the Paul George-less Pacers.
Bulls @ Kings – Feb. 5
This game fittingly takes place on the day following the Super Bowl, where sports-induced sadness reigns supreme in much of the country. It wouldn’t be at all crazy if these were the two worst teams in the league and there is a 10:00 pm ET tip-off time for good measure.
Hawks @ Pacers – Mar. 9
These two teams account for a combined total of five nationally televised games for a reason. This is a Friday night contest, which usually means more attention, but the late hour in the season could add to the intrigue. Can you imagine a scenario in which both teams have sold off assets before the trade deadline? I certainly can.
Hawks @ Kings – Mar. 22
ESPN’s RPM projections believe this is, essentially, the battle of sadness. Atlanta has the worst projected record in the East (and the league) while Sacramento has the worst projected record in the West. This really doesn’t need further explanation, does it?
Kings @ Suns – Apr. 3
Phoenix’s first and only appearance on this list is a match-up against the frequently referenced Kings. There is a real possibility that the Suns are improved and there is legitimate talent on the roster. By April, though, it will be time to play for ping-pong balls on both sides.
Bulls/Nets – Apr. 7 (and Apr. 9)
The final week of the season produces two (!) match-ups over a three-day period between the Nets and Bulls. That is perfection when it comes to influence on the NBA Draft, even if Brooklyn’s pick matters for Boston and not its own interests. Let’s just say that fans should be prepared for anything when it comes to two lottery-bound teams at this point in the calendar and Celtics fans will have one eye on their squad’s playoff seeding and one eye on the Nets’ ping-pong ball count by this time.
