This Wednesday is the mid-season time of the 2022-23 season. By this time, most NBA teams have played 41 of the 82 regular season games, so it is time to observe the progress of the 23-year lottery draw. ​​​

According to the current draft rulesNo team can ensure that they can get the first prize and then use it to select Wenbanyama.The four teams with the worst record have the same probability of winning the first prizeTherefore, for the teams who dream of getting the French center with a height of 2.24 meters and his unique match skills, entering this queue is the most important thing for them to achieve their goals.

In addition to the top four teams from the bottom, there are also several other teams that have a high probability of jumping from their draw to the first place. The decisions of these teams will also be more interesting, because they need to start making decisions faster than expected – the most obvious isWalkerandsir——Before the trading deadline of next month, determine whether it is to sprint the playoffs or the lottery zone.

Now let’s analyze all the teams that have the potential to compete for Wimbledon – in accordance with the current draft draw order – including the top lottery competitors and the teams whose management needs to make wise decisions before the trade deadline on February 9.

The most “promising” competitor

1. Rockets (10-30)

I have to say, veteran guardEric Gordon It seems to be an accurate assessment that the Rockets have made “little progress” this season. The 25% victory rate of the Rockets can only barely surpass the 20-win level of last season, but this is because they have trained a young core for another year, and added the exploratory flower showJabari Smith After that. On the other hand, unless the Rockets can draw the top four places, the first round of signing in 2024 will go to Thunder, so 2023 is a good opportunity for the Rockets to add another top ranking rookie.

2. Pistons (11-33)

After the opening of 3-15, the Pistons’ competitiveness was a little stronger, veteranBerks‘s comeback and the 2020 lottery showKilian HayesAnd made up for the number one winner in 2021CorninghamThe loss reimbursed for the season after the leg surgery. If the Pistons trade Berks with team options in 2023-24, or send out veteran forwardBoyan Bogdanovich, hopefully impacting the allianceWorst record。 Berks and Bogdanovic are the Pistons’ two best players this year.

3. Hornets (11-31)

The Hornets won 43 games last season and entered the playoffs. This year, they ranked at the bottom of the league by accident.Miles BriggsBecause of the felony charges of domestic violence, although he has avoided going to prison, he still has not signed a contractRamelo BauerandHaywardHe missed about half of the games of the Hornets due to injury, which also worsened the team’s lineup. Even after Bauer is healthy, the Hornets have only 5 wins and 12 losses, indicating that they are unlikely to escape from this echelon before turning their goal to the 2023-24 season.

4. Spurs (13-28)

in consideration ofSpurs attack efficiency 28th，Defensive efficiency is at the bottomIt’s not easy for them to win 13.The Spurs lost 8.6 points per gameEasy to createNBA worst recordIt means that the Spurs are more likely to rush to the top of the lottery area than fall out of the position where the rotten shrimp are placed. The Spurs can also trade some veterans to speed up the process. The most noteworthy is the starting centerPorterThis player will become a free agent in the summer of 23 years.

Young teams with “hope”

5. Magic (16-26)

After the 5-16 start, Magic ushered inFultzAnd at that timeCole AnthonyIt just returned, and the winning rate of the game remained at about 50%. The Magic won a 6-game winning streak last month because of unexpected fluctuations in the shooting accuracy of the opponent, but now the Magic has been equipped with a better guard line and a set of young and passionate frontcourt combination（Paul Bangalo、BohrandFranz Wagner）, they are unlikely to end up in the bottom four.

More reinforcements are on the way, according to Woj,IsaacIt is expected that he will play a convalescent game in the Development League on Wednesday, and his last play was in the park season in August 2020 because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

6. Thunder (18-23)

Thunder guardSGAPlay the best team level, and the teamDefense efficiency is close to the top 10 in the leagueSo they are much closer to the playoffs than they are to the last four. Thunder will certainly be cautious about minor injuries of players in the future, but the most promising rookie of the team in 2023-24 is actually the top pick in 2022Chet HolmgrenAfter suffering from metatarsal injury, the player will return next season.

Need management to make decisions

7. Wizards (17-24)

After 2013, the Wizards have never got a rookie higher than the ninth place, which is because theyAlways resist the temptation to lose at the end of the season。 The end of the 2021-22 season is a good example. The Wizards played 5-5 in the last 10 games, and were defeated by the Lakers in the draft draw – the Lakers have given their draft rights. But now, the Wizards have won less than 50% of the seven games. This year, there may be no other choice but to trade those who will become free agentsKuzmaAnd then focus on the 2023-24 season.

8. Raptor (18-23)

The Raptors have reached a critical moment. The pre-season observers have high expectations for the Raptors. And they were a playoff team last season. Now some people believe that the Raptors can be competitive this year. It is also a reasonable idea. After all, the Raptors are the seventh in the Eastern Conference in terms of average net points per game, which is better than the four teams higher than themselves in the record list. However, if the Raptors can deal with it, they will become free agents immediatelyTrentandVan FritIt may be a wiser choice to pursue other young players to add to the current core team.

… Don’t you want to put it out?

9. Jazz (21-23)

10. Pacers (23-18)

Now it is hard to believe that before entering the new season, the odds of the performance of Caesars Sportsbook,Think the Pacers and Spurs are tied for the penultimate (22.5) in the league, andJazz and Rockets tied for the third from the bottom (23.5)。

The Pacers have played a total number of games that exceed the odds, which is the fastest team to exceed the odds after the Suns reached 20.5 in the first 34 games of the season in 2013-14.

Although the Pacers won more games than Jazz, and ranked 6th in the East, while Jazz ranked 10th in the West,The 538 website still predicts that both teams will have at least 50% chance of entering the playoffs, which also reflects the higher expectations of Jazz lineup combination before the start of the game and the Jazz’s better net score.

However, the record is still very important, because it can determine how the management of the two teams choose on the deadline. It is very difficult for the walkers to rush to the top 8 or 9 of the lotto draw and then get a high probability of winning the draw in Vancouver. However, there are two high-level young guards in the walker team, namelyHalliburtonAnd the 2022 lottery showBenedict MathelinShould not be too anxious to supplement top talents through the draft conference.

However, Jazz’s situation is slightly different. For them, just falling out of the play-off range and not far from the last eight records in the league is a key turning point. If the Jazz sends out their older veteransConley+OlivicHowever, the team still has enough time to finally achieve the results not far from the pre-season expectations.