Nets victory shifts draft lottery landscape. See how Brooklyn's win impacts their pursuit of a top pick and the ethical debate surrounding tanking.
The Brooklyn Nets ended a 10-game losing streak Sunday night, dominating the Sacramento Kings in a 116-99 rout.
At first glance, this game doesn't have much importance, as both the Nets (18-57) and the Kings (19-57) are two of the worst-four teams in the NBA. However, this game could prove important, as it lessened the gap between Brooklyn and Sacramento for increased opportunity at the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft.
According to the draft lottery system, the three teams with the worst records will have a 52.1-percent chance of finishing the season in the bottom three; and each would then have a 14-percent chance of netting the top overall selection.
Falling out of this grouping would lessen the Nets' chances to just 48.1 percent, while their odds of securing the No. 1 pick would drop to 12.5 percent.
Following the victory, Brooklyn is now a half-game worse than Sacramento, clinging to the third-worst record in the NBA. The Nets now trail the Washington Wizards (17-57) and the NBA-worst Indiana Pacers (17-58) in the race to the bottom.
With matchups with both Indiana and Washington still on the schedule, these remaining seven games will be crucial for deciding where Brooklyn ends up at the end of the season.
The idea of tanking for a better draft pick has become a hot topic in the NBA. Teams have been racing to the bottom to try to secure the best odds possible for a high selection, which is not surprising, as this year's draft class is super talented.
The Nets' leading scorer, Michael Porter Jr., gave his take on tanking earlier this month, saying, "It's not very ethical to the game."
"People pay a lot of money to watch the best players in the world compete, and you want to see teams competing to their fullest ability every single night," Porter said on "The Emily Austin Show" podcast. "When teams do the stuff they are doing nowadays, it can be tough."
Porter has enjoyed a career season in his first year with the Nets, averaging 24.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and a career-high three assists.
Porter suffered a strained left hamstring last week, likely ending his career-year.
Nevertheless, the remaining seven games for the Nets could have big implications on the team's standing in the draft. Brooklyn has been tagged to all of the top prospects in the draft, including BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Duke's Cameron Boozer, Kansas' Darryn Peterson and Houston's Kingston Flemings.
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