The 2026-27 NBA season has entered its third week, with all 30 teams playing at least 10 games. The results have revealed several clear trends across the league. Some teams are winning consistently, including the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers. Others remain in the middle of the standings, such as the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Toronto Raptors.
Lastly, several teams are struggling at the bottom of both conferences. These aren’t just ordinary losing teams. Some have two wins or fewer through the opening weeks. It’s time to analyze these struggling teams and examine how their performances relate to the new 3-2-1 lottery system. The NBA introduced the system during the 2026 offseason.
How Does The NBA’s 3-2-1 Lottery System Work?
The 3-2-1 lottery system was created to discourage league-wide tanking and promote winning. The system gives the three teams with the worst records the lowest odds of winning the draft lottery. Its primary goal is to make the NBA more competitive and balanced.
With these changes, one would expect fewer teams to experience prolonged losing streaks. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. Four NBA teams have only one victory through the opening weeks. Those teams include the Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Utah Jazz, and Sacramento Kings. The Los Angeles Clippers deserve a dishonorable mention with only two total wins.
The NBA’s Rebuilding Teams Are Still Struggling
As previously mentioned, NBA teams have little incentive to tank for a better draft lottery position. Injuries also play a major role across the league. However, several struggling teams are losing at a concerning rate beyond the impact of injuries. Injuries are part of basketball, making them difficult to use as excuses. Roster construction is a much bigger problem for many of these teams.
All five previously mentioned teams entered the 2026-27 season as rebuilding teams. Rebuilding franchises often struggle during the early stages of their development. They frequently lack veteran leadership while relying on inexperienced, unpolished young players. Expectations also differ significantly between rebuilding teams and established contenders.
The Bucks, Bulls, and Kings entered the season without particularly high expectations. Meanwhile, the Jazz and Clippers had hopes of reaching the Play-In tournament. Neither team was expected to compete for a championship or secure a playoff position. However, starting the season eight to ten games below .500 wasn’t expected either.
None of these teams are intentionally tanking because their goal remains winning. They also want to avoid finishing inside the three-team lottery regulation zone. If the losing continues, three of these five franchises could finish with records significantly worse than last season. That would create another problem for the league.
The NBA Needs More Than A 3-2-1 Lottery System
The NBA needs to do more than introduce a 3-2-1 lottery system to make the league more balanced. The message behind the changes is clear, but the results remain similar to last season. Teams are still struggling to compete, despite having less incentive to tank.
In previous seasons, teams would examine their schedules for upcoming matchups against rebuilding opponents. Those games often presented opportunities to secure victories against teams intentionally losing. While the struggling franchises are no longer tanking, many opponents still view them as easy victories. Their inability to win consistently has created a similar problem.
That is a major concern for the NBA, and it needs to be addressed. Roster construction will always have its flaws, whether teams build through the draft, sign free agents, or make trades. Salary cap restrictions also limit the moves franchises can make when improving their rosters.
End Of My 3-2-1 Lottery System Rant
The effectiveness of the 3-2-1 lottery system remains a major question. Has the NBA actually become more competitive and balanced? Will the league experience meaningful improvements once December begins?
The NBA does an excellent job promoting its product and attracting fans through competition and excitement. However, the league still has work to do. Whether that means addressing ownership decisions or making salary cap adjustments, additional changes may be necessary.
One thing is clear: consistent losing across the league isn’t good for the NBA. Even without intentional tanking, the current situation looks remarkably similar to previous seasons. The 3-2-1 lottery system may discourage tanking, but it hasn’t eliminated the competitive imbalance.
