The new NBA season is a fierce competition, with many young teams striving to join the ranks of those aiming for the playoffs. Look at the Rockets and Grizzlies, who have both made it into the top three in the West, and the Spurs with a win rate exceeding half. The Magic has yet to lose a home game! However, some teams have no choice but to continue tanking, such as the Charlotte Hornets, who have recently lost five games in a row and are close to not having made the playoffs for nearly a decade. In fact, the Hornets' star player, Ball, has been in great form this season, averaging 31.1 points, ranking second in the league, scoring more than 40 points in many games. As a point guard, having such strong scoring ability is truly impressive! But unfortunately, Ball's body is too prone to injury; just when he was playing hot, he suffered another calf strain and will have to rest for at least a month.
In the past two seasons, Ball's number of appearances has been quite low, only about one-third, and without him, the Hornets really can't perform, remaining a weak team. Looking at the Pelicans, who are at the bottom of the West, they have already lost nine games in a row! The Pelicans should be a team capable of making the playoffs; last season's regular-season win rate was 60%, and their lineup is not bad, with All-Star level players like Zion, Ingram, and McCollum. However, this season, the Pelicans are in a miserable state, firmly at the bottom of the West, finding it difficult to win a single game. Like the Hornets, the Pelicans are also plagued by injuries; their star player, Zion, is often injured and suffered a leg muscle strain after playing only a few games. CJ and Ingram are also frequently sidelined. Moreover, the Pelicans' bench strength is lacking, and there are few forwards; this season, they might have to go down the path of tanking as well.
Speaking of the most disappointing team this season, it's not the Hornets or the Pelicans, but the Eastern Conference's bottom-ranked Wizards. The Wizards are in a sorry state, having lost 14 games in a row, setting the embarrassing record for the longest losing streak this season. Look at their record: 2 wins and 16 losses, with a win rate of only 11.1%, which is pitiful. Unlike the Hornets and Pelicans, the Wizards did not start tanking due to injuries; it seems that from the beginning of the season, they were determined to compete for the top draft pick. Similar to other young, promising teams, the Wizards also have several high-pick rookies with potential, such as this year's second overall pick Alexander-Sar, the second overall pick Bagley from 2018, last year's seventh overall pick Culibali, and young players like Carlington and Kispert. Their top scorer, Jordan Poole, was originally a key player being groomed by the Warriors and was even touted as the next Stephen Curry.
Poole, due to his inefficiency and conflicts with Draymond Green, was let go by the Warriors and then joined the Wizards. The Wizards wanted to cultivate Poole as their leader and provide him with a better scoring environment. However, after arriving at the Wizards last season, Poole took more shots, but his stats actually worsened, with an average score of less than 20 points and a shooting percentage barely above 40%. This put the Wizards in a dilemma: should they continue to cultivate Poole or find an opportunity to let him go? Last season, the Wizards were also considering cultivating Avdia as their frontline core, and Avdia was indeed making rapid progress, averaging 15 points and 7 rebounds, with good offensive and defensive skills. But the Wizards' management is baffling; as soon as Avdia started showing results, they traded him away during the summer offseason to the Trail Blazers.
The team's management lacks vision, and the players' abilities are limited, turning the Wizards into a completely mediocre team with little hope for the future. To be honest, Poole is performing much better this new season, with an outside shooting percentage above 40% and slightly higher basic stats. However, the Wizards' attitude towards him keeps changing, never fully trusting him. For Poole, his career path has been too volatile. He was outstanding as a rookie, winning a championship trophy with the Warriors in his third year in the league. That playoff season, Poole played a crucial role, and it was that season that his value skyrocketed. But after winning the championship, Poole's progress suddenly stalled, and he even began to regress early.
From a championship-contending team to a tanking team, it may not necessarily be a bad thing for Poole; he can play more freely here, "pad his stats," and enhance his trade value. After all, he is still considered a star player on the Wizards. In fact, the Wizards were also focusing on cultivating Kuzma, but this guy ended up in a miserable situation. Kuzma was impressive when he debuted, making the first-team All-Rookie in his first season, with a template like Paul George, handsome and skilled, with comprehensive personal abilities and 3D attributes, with the potential to become an All-Star. After moving from the Lakers to the Wizards, Kuzma didn't do well, and this season has been particularly dismal, with an average score six points lower than last season and a shooting percentage down by five percentage points. Perhaps the team environment isn't conducive to his performance; Kuzma has no choice. Having lost 14 games in a row, it's truly embarrassing! With the birth of this disgraceful record in the new season and the star player lacking fighting spirit, when will the Wizards' losing streak end?
