NBA Tank Rankings: The bizarre impotency of New Orleans
By Brad Rowland
#4 – New Orleans Pelicans
This is just bizarre. The team that employs Anthony Davis, a top-5 player in the NBA, should never be subjected to inclusion on this list, but with the Pelicans sitting at 0-5 on the season with the league’s worst net rating (-14.4 points per 100 possessions), we have no choice.
To be clear, New Orleans won’t finish anywhere near the bottom of the league when all is said and done, and the 43-point explosion from Davis on Friday evening against a quality Atlanta team was undoubtedly encouraging. However, New Orleans has a comical roster when you consider only the available/healthy players, and there is only so much that Davis can be expected to do. This will probably be the only time we see the Pelicans in this space, but this time, it was unavoidable.
#3 – Los Angeles Lakers
I hear you, Lakers fans. Los Angeles got on the board with a victory on Friday night, but when that win came against the lowly Brooklyn Nets, there is only so much credit to be assigned.
The Lakers sit at 1-4 with a brutal net rating (-9.1 points per 100), and in short, they are a poorly coached team that relies far too heavily on the work of Kobe Bryant in 2015. Los Angeles actually has more talent than you might think, but the Lakers are still (quite) bad right now and they deserve a tip of the cap for tanking prowess, even when it is accidental.
Next: 76ers and Nets