Tankathon Reverse Standings: Pistons Keep Hold on No. 1
With Toronto's trading of OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam — along with having their top-seven protected pick in the hands of the Spurs — we likely have a new reverse standings contender.
Still, those at the bottom have quite the head start, and will be tough to catch as we officially enter draft positioning season.
Here are the official Tankathon reverse standings as of Monday, Jan. 22:
1. Detroit Pistons, 4-38
Despite being 1-9 in their last nine 10 games — and already breaking the all-time losing streak record earlier in the season — things are actually looking up some for the Detroit Pistons.
After suffering a 22-point loss to the league’s third-worst team last week, the team has been gelling. They lost by just two points to a scrappy Houston squad, beat the second-worst Wizards by 12, and lost by just seven and six points to contenders Minnesota and Milwaukee, respectively.
Even better, they’ll get their star point guard Cade Cunningham back from injury very soon. And will likely be ready to make as big a leap as a 4-38 team can in-season.
2. Washington Wizards, 7-35
Washington lies at the other end of that spectrum. With just one win in their last 10 tries and no real pathway towards sustained success, they’re likely to continue seeing worse results as the season progresses.
Though, that’s likely exactly where they want to be. And fans can sleep a little easier than those residing in Detroit with a potentially strong front office for a rebuild.
Still, being the league’s worst team isn’t fun. And it feels like that’s what Washington is headed towards.
3. San Antonio Spurs, 8-34
With Victor Wembanyama’s improved play — 24.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.4 blocks in his last seven games — the Spurs won thrice in that span.
After already landing No. 1 last year, San Antonio is very much a team that will be looking for improvement in-season. So they may be less likely to opt for draft positioning than the Wizards, Raptors and Trail Blazers of the world.
While they currently occupy the third-worst record in the NBA, I wouldn’t expect them to for long.
4. Charlotte Hornets, 9-31
5. Portland Trail Blazers, 12-30
6. Memphis Grizzlies, 15-27
7. Toronto Raptors, 16-27
8. Brooklyn Nets, 17-25
9. Atlanta Hawks, 18-24
10. Golden State Warriors, 18-22
11. Houston Rockets, 20-22
12. Chicago Bulls, 21-23
T13. Utah Jazz, 22-22
T13. Los Angeles Lakers, 22-22
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