23. Sacramento Kings (16-29)
In the 2018 NBA Draft, Kings GM Vlade Divac passed on both Luka Doncic and Trae Young for Marvin Bagley, which makes me wonder how this man still has a job as an NBA Executive. The Kings really have been the anti-model franchise, and it might be time to consider cleaning house from top to bottom. Sacramento has not sniffed the post-season since 2006, and it took them around 40 games to figure out that they might want to trim their rotation and start giving Marvin Bagley more minutes.
There’s actually a bit to like roster-wise. Buddy Hield can light it up with the best of them. Bogdan Bogdanovic has shown he can play, albeit in flashes. Richaun Holmes has been an efficiency monster, and De’Aaron Fox has undeniable upside. So maybe things can get better for the Kings, and with the last couple of playoff berths still up for grabs, Luke Walton will have a chance to prove that the success he enjoyed in Golden State was not just a result of the Splash Brothers and Steve Kerr.
24. Washington Wizards (15-29)
We’re getting into ugly territory here, as the Wizards have been resembling some kind of Arena Basketball Team; putting up a ton of points while getting absolutely shredded defensively on a nightly basis. Want to win your FanDuel Contest? Try stacking the Wizards’ opposition, because Washington gives up around 120 points per game. But it’s a little unfair to rip on a team who’s down arguably their best player in John Wall. Wall looks to be rehabbing well and has looked good in practice, but he likely won’t see the floor this year.
Bradley Beal is beginning to sound a bit like Stefon Diggs; whining about Management, and maybe with good reason (none of which are financial in nature given he makes around $36 million per year). On the bright side, the road to recovery might only take a season; assuming they have both Wall and Beal back healthy next year, Washington should be back contending for an Eastern Conference playoff berth in 2021.