Jazz's Road to Number One Pick Just Got More Difficult

The Utah Jazz dropped to 16-58 on the year after a 121-110 loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday night. The loss keeps the Jazz in last place in the Western Conference and tied with the Washington Wizards for the least amount of wins (16 as of Friday).

While the season has been disappointing by all means for the Jazz and the fanbase, there is hope on the horizon: The 2025 NBA Draft.

The NBA Draft Lottery is not until May 12, so there is time until the draft order is set and the ping pong balls decide the fate of the NBA’s bottom tier teams.

For the Jazz, the hope is that the No. 1 pick can go to Utah, which would more than likely mean selecting Duke sensation Cooper Flagg.

Unfortunately, a big injury report on Friday might be a difference-maker in that matter. Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Charlotte Hornets superstar guard LaMelo Ball is out for the rest of the season.

“Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball will miss the rest of the season as he undergoes two minor procedures to address ankle and wrist issues, sources tell ESPN. Ball showed toughness, playing through pain in recent weeks, before he and team consulted doctors on best course forward,” Charania wrote on X.

Entering Friday night, the Hornets are at 18-54, which puts them currently at third in the NBA Draft Lottery odds.

However, there is no denying that Ball is the Hornets' best player, and fans pointed out a potential tank job by Charlotte with just 10 games left.

Ball is the Hornets' leading scorer, averaging 25.2 points with 7.4 assists and 4.9 rebounds, so he impacts the game in a multitude of ways.

He last played on Tuesday night in the loss to the Orlando Magic, but Ball was ruled out with for Friday’s game even before this update came through by Charania.

With only a handful of games left, the Hornets' losing could help their chances of having better odds for the No. 1 pick. Meanwhile, the Jazz have just one win in the entire month of March, and Utah faces Charlotte on Monday in a battle of tanking teams.

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