With a little less than one month left in the regular season, the bottom of the NBA has essentially subdivided into two distinct races, with two teams caught between them:
The Detroit Pistons (16-54), Houston Rockets (16-52) and San Antonio Spurs (18-50) are in the running for the No. 1 lottery slot. All three will have 14% chances at the No. 1 overall pick, but that top slot matters because it guarantees a top-five pick.The Charlotte Hornets (22-49) are four wins ahead of the Spurs and six wins behind the Orlando Magic (28-41). That effectively locks the Hornets into the No. 4 slot, which has a 12.5% chance at the No. 1 pick.The Magic are three wins behind the Chicago Bulls (31-36), Indiana Pacers (31-38) and Portland Trail Blazers. That effectively locks the Magic into the No. 5 slot, which has a 10.5% chance at the No. 1 pick.Chicago, Indiana and Portland lead the race for No. 6. The Washington Wizards (32-37) are also in the mix there, but after that? There are seven teams with either 33 or 34 wins that could theoretically sneak into the mix here with a truly terrible final month. The differences here start to get meaningful, at least relative to how close these teams are. The No. 6 slot offers a 9% chance at No. 1. The No. 12 slot, currently only two wins ahead of No. 6, has only a 1.5% chance at No. 1.
So that’s where stand right now. There will be a 65% chance that Victor Wembanyama is a member of the Pistons, Rockets, Spurs, Hornets or Magic, and a 35% chance that he plays for one of the several teams vying for position beneath them.
Slow start back from qualifying window
Mets 92 and Wembanyama had a nearly monthlong reprieve from Pro A play during which Wembanyama competed for France and dominated but the team was not in action. During that time in the FIBA qualifying window, Wembanyama dominated on both ends — but he hasn’t quite sustained that production since Pro A play ramped back up. In his three games back this week, he averaged 16.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 27.7 minutes per game — all lows for any three-game stretch he’s…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/wemby-watch-victor-wembanyama-quiet-after-fiba-qualifying-trail-blazers-upping-chances-at-no-1-pick/
Author : Sam Quinn
Publish date : 2023-03-15 16:26:18
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