For the third straight season, Hoops Rumors is introducing a feature that will allow you to keep an eye on how next summer’s draft order will play out: Our 2013/14 NBA reverse standings. Throughout the season, these standings, which list the NBA’s 30 teams from worst to first, will be updated daily to reflect the previous night’s outcomes.
Our reverse standings take into account playoff teams in each conference, so they’re essentially a reflection of what 2014’s draft order would look like with no changes to lottery position. Traded picks are also included via footnotes — for instance, the notes next to the Nuggets’ and Knicks’ picks indicate that Denver will receive the more favorable of those selections, while the Magic will receive the less favorable of the two. For now, that looks like pretty good news for Orlando, since Denver and New York have combined for just three wins.
It’s still too early in the season to put too much stock in a team’s spot in the draft lottery, but unlike last year, when there was no clear No. 1 pick to dream on, 2014’s draft class figures to include Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle, Dante Exum, and Marcus Smart, among others. The general consensus among draft experts is that any one of those players would have had a great shot to go first overall in 2013, so it’s worth getting excited if your favorite team has a shot to land a top pick.
Our reverse standings feature can be found at anytime on our right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.” It’s a great resource not just for monitoring a team’s draft position, but also for keeping an eye on whether or not traded picks with protection will be changing hands in 2014. So be sure to check back often!