The Utah Jazz have plenty of threats in the tanking game. The Wizards and Raptors are right there with them among the very worst NBA teams, but that was expected from them. There might be another tanking threat on the horizon that wasn't expected: the 76ers.
Earlier, it was written that the Thunder might be a problem for the Jazz since they own the Sixers pick this year (Note that this was not the first time the Thunder have been brought up in this regard). That pick is top-six protected, but normally, that wouldn't be a problem with a team like the Sixers, but after they've had it is.
Following an offseason overhaul, the 76ers are stupefying worse than the Jazz. After adding Paul George, this was supposed to be a return to form for the Sixers, but they've started 2-11. Injuries have played a part, but last night, they went up against the Heat and went from up double digits to losing by double digits with both Paul George and Joel Embiid.
They might be recovering from injuries, but George and Embiid don't look like themselves. They have long rap sheets with injuries, so there's a solid chance they won't get back to where they were. Regardless, they're not playing up to expectations on a team that built itself believing it was a contender.
It only gets worse. ESPN's Shams Charania gave the full details of their team meeting after losing to the Heat. The details are pretty ugly. The season is only a month old, but the Sixers' hole is only getting deeper and deeper.
They're not at the point yet where the best option is to throw the season away to regroup, but they are at the point where they should consider it. While the Sixers are very familiar with embracing the tank, the Thunder owning a potentially high lottery pick because of them is both a scary and avoidable situation for Philadelphia.
They already have a good head start on a tank, and they could be potentially be rewarded if they follow through on it. If this keeps going as the calendar year ends, they may ask themselves, "Why not?"
That would be a problem for the Jazz
The Jazz have benefitted from a mostly competitive NBA overall with few tankers. They want that franchise-changing talent because they have the stepping stones to a perennial playoff contender.
It's not the worst thing in the world if someone else winds up with the highly-coveted Cooper Flagg. However, since lottery odds are much more spread out, there could be dire consequences if they finish outside of the top-three worst teams record-wise.
Per Tankathon, the Jazz currently sport the fourth-worst record in the league, which actually gives them odds of getting as low as the eighth overall pick in the draft. If they finish with the worst, they get the No. 5 pick at worst.
The competition isn't fierce, but there is competition that can't be ignored. However, if the Sixers are in the picture, that makes it tougher. It's an inconvenience to see them there, and what makes it worse is that they have a motive to stay among the worst NBA teams.
The Jazz and Sixers have yet to face each other this season. They have matchups on December 28 and March 9 next year. Those could actually wind up being more pivotal games than either side could have anticipated.