The Race to the Bottom
The 2017–18 NBA season is about to begin and excitement for this year’s iteration of the Chicago Bulls is… almost nonexistent. For the first time in years the team is expected to be among the worst in the league, competing not for a playoff spot, but a few more balls in the Draft Lottery. With that in mind let’s take a look at the other teams riding the train to Tank City, see where the Bulls fit in the race preseason, and maybe find a shred of light, amongst the darkness.
8. Sacramento Kings
The Kings are in an interesting spot, in that they probably aren’t quite as bad as the rest of the teams in this race, but they don’t really seem like a team poised to become a contender with just growth among their young players either. De’Aaron Fox has a questionable jump shot but otherwise has all the tools to become a bonafide star at point guard, Buddy Hield was a much better player after being traded to Sacramento, and that trade also allowed both Willie Cauley-Stein and Skal Labissiere to shine as well. Adding George Hill to that group likely prevents them from falling to the depths of everyone else on this list, but they could really use another high pick.
Reason to watch:
De’Aaron Fox is the easy answer here, and he’s the best answer until January or so, but that’s when his fellow rookie Harry Giles is expected to debut. It feels like a lifetime ago, but at one point it was Giles who was considered the best prospect in this loaded class. Repeated knee injuries in high school that continued to dog him in his lone season at Duke dropped him down draft boards, and the Kings recently announced they’d hold him out until sometime after the New Year not because of another injury, but to allow him to take his time rebuilding strength in his legs. If he can make good on the potential he once showed, the combination of Giles, Fox, and Hield begins to sound pretty exciting.
7. New York Knicks
It’s finally Kristaps Porzingis’s team in the Big Apple. After a couple of seasons stuck playing second fiddle to Carmelo Anthony, Porzingis finally owns the spotlight. The 2015 first-round pick has shown superstar potential in his two years in the league, and without Carmelo taking possessions away from him, or Phil Jackson forcing the team to run an offensive system that just didn’t fit the roster, his numbers are expected to increase noticeably. If he puts up All Star caliber numbers like he’s capable of, it can carry the Knicks out of the league’s absolute bottom tier.
Reason to watch:
Outside of Porzingis, and the potential for everything to turn into a circus, which is truly The Knicks Way, Frank Ntilikina is someone to keep an eye on. The Knicks were criticized for drafting him over Dennis Smith Jr., who’s flashier and more likely to make an impact early. But Ntilikina is a long-armed, willing defender, who works hard and has shown a reliable jumper. He should get opportunities to play at both guard spots, and his versatility makes him an ideal prospect for the modern NBA.
6. Phoenix Suns
The team with possibly the most possible variation on this list is the Suns. Big years from the backcourt combination of Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe, a strong rookie year from Josh Jackson, and a breakout second season from one or both of Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender could push them well past the other teams here. On the other hand, if Bledsoe is traded to a playoff contender, Jackson’s lack of a jump shot limits him and the other young players don’t take a step forward they could really struggle to find wins in the Western Conference.
Reason to watch:
Devin Booker became one of NBA Twitter’s most polarizing players. His huge scoring outbursts made him a young star last season, but some have questioned how good his overall game was. Regardless of what side of the argument you land on, those scoring barrages make him a player worth watching whenever possible.
5. Brooklyn Nets
It seems as though some people are forgetting the Nets in the Eastern Conference’s bottom tier. While their position on this list indicates that I no longer think they’re the worst team in the conference, it’s hard to see where some people are expecting much improvement. The team has made as many smart long-term moves as they could, but most are unlikely to pay off in the form of extra wins this season. Turning Brook Lopez into D’Angelo Russell was a good decision that could have a huge effect on the team in the future, as the former number two overall pick has superstar potential. But he isn’t there yet, and Lopez was an important part of the team last year. The only other notable addition the team made in advance of this season was bringing in Allen Crabbe from Portland. Crabbe is a terrific shooter and a useful player overall, but this team is still years away from being good.
Reason to watch:
Will D’Angelo Russell breakout? If you’re a Nets fan you better hope so, because there isn’t really much else to get excited about.
4. Orlando Magic
The next two teams were hard to separate, and ultimately the Magic fell here because they do have more upside. In a league that’s fully embraced small-ball the Magic were running out lineups with four front court players last year. Poor Aaron Gordon, the team’s best young player, was forced out to the wing to play alongside both Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo at the same time. If the team can figure out its front court rotation and allow Gordon and rookie Jonathan Isaac time to develop together while the underrated Evan Fournier provides reliable scoring things could start to look up. However if they continue to try to be the bizzarro Bucks, with all of the length minus the actual ability to play on the perimeter that makes Milwaukee so good, the season will be another slog.
Reason to watch:
Speaking of the Bucks, Isaac is one player who actually would fit right in on that team. That’s fitting, because former Bucks General Manager John Hammond is now running the show in Milwaukee. Isaac is long, with the skill and athleticism to play out on the wing. He and Gordon could make an exciting duo.
3. Indiana Pacers
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, an Eastern Conference team trades away a top-15 player for an underwhelming return. Fortunately for the Pacers, they have Myles Turner, which is the only thing keeping them out of the bottom two. Turner is ready to become one of the best big men in the league, and while guys like Thad Young, Lance Stephenson, and Victor Oladipo aren’t the most exciting names around, they’re proven players. Which is more than the next two teams have.
Reason to watch:
Turner is one of the best young players in the league, and he’ll get a featured role on this team. His ability to stretch the floor offensively, and provide strong rim protection on the defensive end makes him a cornerstone for this team. There’s also always the chance that Stephenson does something ridiculous.
2. Chicago Bulls
I’m not sure if putting the Bulls here is a sign of optimism or pessimism. Regardless, things will be bad this season. They could easily be the worst team in the league, which is where many project them to be. I do think they have slightly more upside than the one team remaining, which is what puts them here. Zach LaVine was having a terrific year in Minnesota before his knee injury last season, and if he returns as the same player, half a season of him alone could give them just enough to steal a couple of extra wins. And while I thought there were players with more upside still on the board when he was picked, I’ve alway been a big fan of Lauri Markkanen, and a strong showing at Eurobasket over the summer has given cause for optimism.
Reason to watch:
Bulls fans know as well as anyone how devastating knee injuries can be to a player, especially one who is as reliant on his athleticism as LaVine is. There’s no way of knowing how he’ll come back, but whatever happens, it will have a dramatic effect on the future outlook of the franchise.
1. Atlanta Hawks
The Bulls might not be the most miserable team in the league this season. While Chicago can at least look forward to Zach LaVine’s return, Atlanta is only looking towards the lottery. Just a couple years after sending the entire starting lineup to the All Star game and taking the top seed in the Eastern Conference, this group is almost completely different. The Hawks are still banking on Dennis Schröder to be the point guard of the future, and Kent Bazemore is a steady 3-and-D player on the wing, but things get pretty murky after that. They are certainly the Bulls’ biggest challenger for the number one pick.
Reason to watch:
John Collins was quietly one of the best players in college basketball last year, and he seems determined to not let that “quietly” part carry over to the NBA. He spent his Summer League and preseason seemingly trying to dunk on everybody in the league, and in a miserable season like the one Atlanta is about to begin, that’s as good as anything else fans will see.
