NBA tanking, March Madness and Angel Reese stardom

Great generals throughout history used withdrawal as a strategy, choosing to take short-term defeats as part of a long-term strategy for victory. NBA teams have adopted that tactic for years, choosing to sacrifice entire seasons for a chance at a better draft position. It’s called “fueling” instead of “retreating,” but the philosophy is the same: lose now to win big later.

On today’s episode of “The Athletic Show,” we dive into NBA tanking as it once again dominates the discourse on the future of the league. The NBA draft, like all major sports, determines its order using the team’s records from the previous season, but with an added wrinkle.

Instead of the worst record from last season automatically being drafted first, the 14 teams that don’t make the playoffs will be entered into the Draft Lottery. A drawing then determines the order of the first 14 choices. The three worst teams from the previous season all have a 14 percent chance of being picked top. The fifth-worst team has a 12.5 percent chance, the fifth-worst team has a 10 percent chance, and the odds are getting smaller and smaller. So while having the worst record doesn’t guarantee a team will get the first pick, the worse the record does increase the odds. Given the influence star players have on team success in the NBA, being at the top of the first round is crucial.

So the incentive to lose is clear. And even though the league has instituted rules to prevent coaches from simply benching their best players, teams have found ways to ensure they lose as much as possible.

Between trading away top players, finding creative excuses to retain talent (vague injuries, load management, etc.) and choosing to play inexperienced or struggling players, franchises can quickly turn disappointing seasons into disastrous ones in the hopes of ultimately getting the best draft odds. Although the sport has dealt with tanking for decades, modern teams hardly mask their tactics, leading NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to tackle the problem more aggressively than ever.

The Athletic writer John Hollinger joins the show to discuss Silver’s recent cutting comments, as well as what strategies are being weighed to put an end to tanking for good. We cover the proposals, which include ending the lottery, doing away with the draft altogether, and even draft picks, where teams pick one of the other 29 franchises, and where that team finishes determines where the draft pick signs.

We discuss the options and even explore what the league could look like once struggling franchises can no longer retreat from moving forward.

In the WNBA, Angel Reese has done the opposite of retiring, building on her hardwood success to become a multi-hyphenate athlete. The 23-year-old has a growing list of endorsements and investments, a signature sneaker and a growing IMDB page featuring Steph Curry’s new animated film. Reese has quickly built the most lucrative portfolio in the league, and The Athletic writer Shakeia Taylor joins the show to explore how Reese’s talent, drive and social media savvy are shaping the new WNBA as a league and the players are locked in a labor battle.

In the non-professional world, March Madness is just a week away. College Hoops writer Brendan Marks joins Zena to discuss the top storylines in both the men’s and women’s divisions, and the biggest names to track in what promises to be a historically good draft class.