Five teams in the NBA have managed just a single win two weeks into the 2026-27 season, a brutal start that’s already shining a harsh light on the league’s recent lottery reform. Forget about everyone being competitive, because the bottom of the league is starting to look like a full-blown disaster zone.
The New Lottery Reality Is Kicking In
The NBA tweaked its draft lottery with big hopes, believing all 30 teams would be somewhat competitive. But just a couple of weeks into the 2026-27 season, that vision is clearly not happening. We’re talking five teams with one measly victory, and those wins are often only coming when they play each other. The Los Angeles Clippers have only beaten the Sacramento Kings. The Chicago Bulls only took down the Milwaukee Bucks. The Kings’ single victory came because the Dallas Mavericks decided to rest Kyrie Irving. You can design the incentive structures however you want, but some teams are just gonna be bad. Sometimes it’s poor management, sometimes it’s injuries, sometimes they’re in a total roster rebuild.
Last spring’s lottery reform is all about punishing the worst teams. The new 3-2-1 format means the seven best teams who *miss* the Play-In Tournament still get three lottery balls each out of the 37 available. But the three absolute worst teams? They only get two. The whole idea was to spark an “all-out war” to avoid that bottom three. The old NBA was built to help bad teams get good fast, but this new system makes it tougher than ever to bounce back from the basement.
Utah Jazz Are 1-7 and Coach Will Hardy Has No Answers
As the league’s bottom tier begins to solidify, we’re looking at seven teams who are serious threats to land in that dreaded “relegation zone.” And nobody is more perplexing right now than the Utah Jazz, currently sitting at a miserable 1-7. For four years, Utah was a smart, well-run franchise that lost because the front office deliberately held back coach Will Hardy’s talent. Now, Hardy is actually “allowed to win,” but it’s just not happening.
That inventive, flowing offense from previous seasons is sputtering hard. No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson isn’t hitting jumpers and can’t even get to the rim. Guys who are supposed to bring size and defense, like Josh Okogie and Jaxson Hayes, are flat-out killing the offense. Everything is running through Keyonte George because he’s the only one creating any consistent advantages on the floor, but he’s not a true point guard. The lack of passing on that team is absolutely palpable. Their lone victory? It was by a single point, which tells you everything you need to know about how tight things are for them.
With seven teams already looking like serious threats for those dreaded bottom-three spots, this season’s race to avoid the basement is gonna be wild. The old NBA made it easier to bounce back from the bottom, but this new lottery design is built to make it harder. Will teams like the Jazz find a way to escape this early hole, or are they destined to take that lottery hit in May? It’s early, but the stakes are already through the roof for these struggling squads.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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