The Utah Jazz opened the tanking season early, amazingly losing-from-ahead in a game against the Orlando Magic, deploying a strategy that could create a wrinkle for teams jostling for position in the ever-tightening playoff race. What makes this method a sneaky problem is that the NBA doesn't have an anti-tanking rule against it.
Leading by as many as 17 late in the third quarter, the Jazz pulled their starters early, including Lauri Markkanen and new acquisition Jaren Jackson Jr., benching them for the fourth quarter. Orlando's starters clawed back against the weaker Jazz bench to secure the win by three.
Tanking normally doesn't start until at least after the All-Star break, and sometimes teams wait until about March 1st. The tanking has arrived a few weeks early this year. For the bottom teams, the tanking provides them with extra ping-pong balls for the draft lottery. But the tanking affects teams at the top very differently.
For example, the Nuggets are currently only one game ahead of both the Lakers and the Rockets for the three seed in the West. Let's say the Rockets play more games against teams like the Pacers, Kings, Nets, or even the Bulls, who traded away their top six scorers for more draft picks. Those games aren't just more likely wins, but they will also play more like an easy gym session than a grueling battle.
Who do the Nuggets have left?
There are still 29 games left on the schedule. We can generally assume the bottom five teams from each conference will be tanking in some form, whether traditionally by resting the starters or stars for the whole game, or by this new method.
The Nuggets have seven games remaining against a bottom-five team from either conference. They get both the Jazz and the Grizzlies three times, and the Mavericks once.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have 10 such games, including games left against the bottom four teams: the Pelicans, Wizards, Pacers, and Kings. The Rockets also have 10 games remaining against the tanking teams.
That's three extra games against teams that will be giving less than their best efforts from here forward. Of course, the Nuggets drew the short end of the stick. They've been drawing it all season. Just look at all of the injuries that have piled up. But you know what? They're still third in the West, with the deepest bench they've had in years. Still a pretty good spot to be in, as long as the tank doesn't run them over.