Poor strength! US media: The five teams that will be bad next season, the Nets and the Pistons are among them

In today's NBA competitive ecosystem, strategic performance has become the core means of team reconstruction. During the 2025 offseason, many teams took the initiative to slow down and exchanged short-term record for long-term talent accumulation. However, the current bad strategy shows new characteristics: the probability of the top three teams winning the No. 1 pick is 14% (previously the bottom was 14% and the bottom was only 13.3%). The bottom-level value has decreased, but as long as the top three is maintained, the new season has not yet begun, and some teams in the league have begun to play the No. 1 season, so let's take a look:

1. The Jazz

team sent away Collins (averages 19+8 in 40 games last season). Because the management was "afraid of him helping to win", the team can now play the game with peace of mind. Bailey (template McGrady) and NCAA-MOP Clayton formed the backcourt. The former averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in college, and the latter had 38.6% of three-pointers + 87.5% of free throws. Bailey's professional attitude is doubtful. The Jazz needs to replicate the Mitchell-style training of that year and transform its rebellion into competitiveness. Salt Lake City's closed environment is a double-edged sword for problem rookies.

2. The Nets selected five rookies in the first round in 2025 (Jamien, Traore, Powell, Salav, and Wolf), setting a record for the number of NBA first-round draft picks. The five rookies can only score 18 minutes per game, and internal competition will hinder the development of half of the players. The team plans to trade Clarkston to further weaken its combat power, and its determination to play badly is clear. It will control 16 first-round picks in the next six years, making it the most prosperous reconstruction capital in the entire league. It should be noted that the top 5 first-round picks in 2026 will protect it. If the top five falls out of the top five, it will belong to the Rockets, which will force the team to strive to be at the bottom.

3, Wizards

originally planned to trade upward but failed, and were forced to choose Trae Johnson (average of 24 points in the summer league proves the explosiveness of scoring). Sar + Kulibaly + Johnson formed the athletic talent skeleton, but the three players' victory contributions last season totaled -8.3, which can be said to be very immature. The Wizards' reconstruction logic is clear, but they lack real cornerstone talent. They need to be bad again in 2026.

4. Hornets

4 picks scorer Knypur, but the surface reinforcement actually lays the mines - rookie Summer United's three-pointer is only 31%, which is difficult to solve the space dilemma. He only played 42% of the regular season in three goals and four years. The efficiency value (PER) is lower than the league average for a long time. If the three goals are injured again, Miller will be unable to support it. The team's record will inevitably collapse. The Hornets have missed the playoffs for nine consecutive years, and the fans are patient.

5, Pelicans

traded CJ McCollum but retained Zion + Murray. The No. 7 pick Phils was predicted by scouts, "there is a high probability of losing water." In addition, Zion's career attendance rate is less than 45%. Once injured, the team will fall into the lottery zone. The top 4 protection of the first round in 2026 is not allowed to be in the top four, and the signing will belong to the Hawks. In this case, the team may be forced to play badly again.

The bad performance is the most cruel strategic choice in the NBA - it uses the disappointment of millions of fans as fuel to ignite the reconstruction engine, but history has repeatedly proved that successful reconstruction = top talent × scientific cultivation × cultural resilience, the third young master of the Thunder and the Warriors Iron Triangle are all like this. There is no eternal bad performance, only missed opportunities. What do you think about this? Welcome to discuss it in the comment section!