The Washington Wizards start to the season has been the last thing the fanbase hoped to see for a number of reasons.
Not only has it been quite some time since Washington has been relevant in the playoff conversation surrounding the teams in the Eastern Conference, but it has been quite some time since the Wizards fanbase has had a franchise player for them to cheer for.
With an abysmal start to the season, the Wizards haven't had many positives to take away outside of the emergence of sophomore Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George, who have impressd throughout the team's struggling open to the year.
Despite that, it's clear the Wizards are still one piece of the puzzle away from reinserting themselves back in the mix and with a loaded 2026 NBA Draft class, there may not be a better season than this one for the Wizards to find themselves at the bottom of the NBA standings.
Nonetheless, the harsh reality when talking about the Wizards tanking efforts is one the team already knows too well.
Tanking is much harder than it used to be
In 2019, the league implemented new lottery odds that made it increasingly more difficult for tanking teams to be awarded the No. 1 overall pick.
To prevent team's from making the effort to lose games, the NBA instead implemented odds that allow for the three teams with the worst records in the league to be given the highest chances to land the No. 1 overall pick when the NBA Draft Lottery comes around.
Instead, since these new odds have been implemented, the team with the worst record has found themselves being awarded the No. 5 overall pick, which has become the lowest possible spot to land.
Looking back to the Wizards luck from this past offseason, this issue has become one that Washington knows all too well.
All that to say, even if Washington finds themselves tanking for the likes of a Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer or even AJ Dybantsa with the hopes of landing the No. 1 overall pick, the overwhelming reality is that the team won't have as high of odds to land the top selection as they may have in the years prior to 2019.
Fortunately for the Wizards, this loaded draft class has several top prospects that could be a franchise-altering player.
However, at the same time, the Wizards and their fanbase should brace for the reality that landing the top pick is a long shot, even if they finish with the league-worst record.