The Washington Wizards put themselves in an even worst position following Saturday's win.
Washington is in an interesting position down the back half of the season as the team obviously has no chance of competing for a playoff spot this year. In fact, the only thing the team can compete for is a chance to win the sweepstakes for the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft this offseason.
And while no competitor likes to lose, it seems that over the last week, the Wizards forgot about the bigger picture, especially last Wednesday.
You may be wondering, "What's the bigger picture?" Well, the bigger picture is the fact that the team must prioritize their rebuild if they hope to ever climb out of the state of mediocrity the team has left themselves in.
Wizards needed to get back to losing
On Wednesday, the Wizards protected their home court handing the the Utah Jazz a loss in a tight matchup that came down to the wire. Traditionally, a win is the cause of celebration, but for the situation Brian Keefe's squad is in, a win against the Jazz may have been the worst thing Washington could have done.
Not only did they add another win to their record, but they added yet another loss on the resume of the Jazz who as of now are one of the biggest competitors to them for the top pick.
Washington currently sits at the bottom of the standings with a league-worst record of 13-49, but right behind them is the Jazz who currently trail only one game behind them (technically ahead of them) at 15-49. Handing Utah another loss is quite literally the best-case scenario for Jazz President of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge.
Although the top prospect in the upcoming draft class Cooper Flagg seemingly has no desire to suit up for the Wizards next season, under no circumstance should Washington risk losing the top overall pick. Furthermore, they should be holding on to whatever chance there is that the Duke product declares for the NBA Draft, regardless of how slim the possibility is.
All that to say, Washington needed to get back on track on Saturday by losing to the Raptors, instead they put themselves in a worst position by adding another win to their record.
Looking ahead towards the future and prioritizing the bigger picture has to be the sole priority for the Wizards if they want the opportunity to draft their pick of the litter in this top-heavy draft class.