The most interesting thing about each of the NBA’s five worst teams

Just past the quarter-mark of the 2022-23 NBA season, we’re still working out which teams merit consideration as top-shelf, true-blue championship contenders. (The Celtics, Bucks and Suns: sure. Everybody else? Varying levels of TBD — though we have our eyes on you, Pelicans.)

We do have a pretty clear picture, though, of the have-nots — the teams playing for Ping Pong balls rather than postseason seeding.

The Magic, Rockets, Pistons, Spurs and Hornets own the NBA’s worst records and net ratings. This isn’t surprising, of course. Houston, Orlando and Detroit were the league’s three worst teams last season, too. After going an almost-respectable 34-48, San Antonio traded its only All-Star. Charlotte’s best returning player has played only three games, its second-best player didn’t return and its highest-paid player just keeps suffering injuries.

Whether pursuing it intentionally or dragged there by fickle fate, these teams are rebuilding; in the grand scheme of franchise management, the rest of this season has value for them only insofar as it informs the future, and largely in terms of how it impacts their chances of drafting Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, one of the Thompson twins or another bright young thing at the top of the 2023 NBA draft.

“Largely,” but not entirely. The season isn’t actually over, after all; even bad teams playing out the string still feature stuff worth keeping an eye on … and maybe even getting a little excited about. As a committed service journalist, please allow me to share one such reason to stay tuned — the silver lining surrounding the drain this anguished quintet finds itself circling. We’ll start in the Motor City — though not with Killian Hayes, despite his heartening recent uptick in form.

Detroit Pistons: Jaden Ivey, attacking the basket

The only upside to Cade Cunningham’s ongoing issues with a stress fracture in his shin is that it opened the door to see what Ivey, the No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft, could do given more time with the ball in his hands. One answer? Explode.

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Ivey’s averaging 14.7 drives per game since Cunningham went down — 15th in the NBA in that span. Granted, they’re not always the most productive plays; he’s shooting just 37.5% on those forays into the paint. At this stage in his development, though, results matter less than process, and the way Ivey’s maneuvering his way into dangerous positions offers a ton of hope for bigger and better things in the years to come.

The hiccup-quick, heart-stopping first step that terrorized opponents in the Big Ten has translated to the pro level. Even when opponents give him some cushion, Ivey just turns it into a runway, blasting off the starting line to gain the edge and showcasing the acceleration to beat retreating…