This season has gone mostly to plan for the Utah Jazz. They are among the worst teams in the NBA. Perhaps the best comfort from all of this is that, unlike the last two seasons, they will end up with a high lottery pick when it's all over.
Because of the loaded draft class, headlined by Cooper Flagg, the Jazz could have a game-changer for years to come. That's why it surprises no one that there are teams who have been intentionally as bad as the Jazz are.
Now, here's something that fans need to know (but many either don't or keep forgetting): the Jazz don't have to finish with the league's worst record. Thanks to the revised NBA lottery odds, they only have to finish with a bottom-three record to have the highest odds (14%). Even if they finish one spot below that, that goes down to 12.5%.
So it's not the worst fate in the world if they finish above the bottom three, but odds are (no pun intended) that they will do everything in their power to ensure they finish with as bad of a record as possible. That might not be a fun watch, but it may all be worth it.
Because they have competition, it won't necessarily be easy. At 14-43, the Jazz are tied for the second-worst record in the NBA. What helps is that they have the 13th-toughest remaining schedule, according to Tankathon.
Here's where some of their best tanking competitors compare to the Jazz.
Washington Wizards (10-47)
The Wizards have been the worst team primarily because their best player is Jordan Poole, who A. is having a much better season in DC than his first to be fair, and B. is better suited to be a complementary player than the main star.
The Wizards' young talent is also raw, so getting a high lottery pick could help steer them in the right direction while they develop their other young players. They have the third-easiest remaining schedule in the league, per Tankathon. By acquiring multiple NBA champions at the trade deadline, like Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart, they may win more games than people think.
Charlotte Hornets (14-43)
Unlike the Wizards, the Hornets already have a pretty good foundation of young talent with LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. The reason why they are as bad they are now is because of injuries, particularly with those two.
Adding a potential franchise player like Flagg could make the Hornets a dangerous team for years, as long as they maintain a clean bill of health. Tankathon says they have the 17th-toughest schedule remaining. It's not exactly too tough, but it's not easy either. Don't be surprised if Ball misses a lot of their games from here on out due to "knee soreness" or something to that avail.
New Orleans Pelicans (15-43)
The Pelicans are in the same spot as the Hornets, only they had a playoff roster that's been ravaged by injuries from top to bottom. Zion Williamson has been injury-prone as always, but losing Herb Jones and Dejounte Murray to season-ending injuries forms a justifiable narrative that they might be the unluckiest team in the NBA.
The Pelicans have done a pretty good job assembling young talent over the last few years, with Trey Murphy III blossoming into a potential two-way star. They have the 10th-toughest schedule remaining, per Tankathon. Adding Flagg into the equation not only helps them, but it also gives them options in case they decide to part ways with Williamson.
Toronto Raptors (18-40)
The Raptors continue to be super confusing. This season has gone pretty badly for them, but then they decided to add Brandon Ingram to the equation, even though he's in his prime playing for one of the NBA's worst teams.
Maybe the Raptors want to keep their feet in both lanes of possessing win-now players and young developing talent, but the Jazz will tell them from the last two years why that's not the best idea. They have easiest-remaining schedule from here, and if Ingram ever sees the floor, they may not be much trouble for the Jazz.
Other competitors are out there, like the 76ers (they owe a top-six protected pick to the Thunder) and the Spurs (who just lost Victor Wembanyama for the season). However, the distance between them and the Jazz, with how much of the season is already in the books, would indicate that it would take incredible lottery luck for them to get a higher pick than Utah.
But anything is possible. The Jazz went all in on the tank this season, and they might not get the guy they want, but at least this time, they did what they should do.