With exactly one month left of regular NBA season, several power squads are competing heavily for a spot in the playoffs. Aside from them, however, it almost seems like a race for the number 1 overall draft pick among some of the bottom teams. Nowadays, the Philadelphia 76ers are making a strong case for the draft pick with the franchise tanking more and more each game.
After trading away their best player, Jrue Holiday last season, the Sixers set out on a mission to rebuild over the next few years. With this goal in place, sports analysts gave them a near-zero chance at winning the NBA Title during the preseason rankings. During this homestretch of the season, Philadelphia has met all of these expectations with an ongoing 20 game losing streak.
From a future perspective, however, there is quite some potential for the future of the 76ers. One of the key roles for the franchise is instilled in Michael Carter-Williams, a first-year man out of Syracuse. Throughout Philadelphia’s forgettable 2013-14 campaign, Carter-Williams has managed to put up 16.8 points and 6.2 assists per game, and has solidified himself as a candidate for the Rookie of the Year Award.
In addition to Carter-Williams, the Sixers will be a contender for the top pick in the upcoming NBA Draft on June 26, 2014; this might be very good news for the city of brotherly love. With some extremely talented college players potentially departing their schools early, such as Jabari Parker of Duke University, Philadelphia could strike gold this summer when selecting the newest members of the franchise.
Until then, however, the 76ers will likely continue tanking as their losing streak grows larger.