Most Sixers fans are hoping the team can continue to lose steam on the floor, in turn gaining momentum in the race to maximize draft lottery positioning. With a top-six protected first-round pick in limbo, every win and loss is meaningful for the Sixers for the opposite reasons they usually are critical.
In the second edition of Sixers tank watch, here is what you need to know about the current state of the lottery odds and how games in the week ahead will impact the Sixers' chances of having a premium draft choice in June:
Lottery standings entering tonight
Here is where the lottery rankings stand entering Wednesday's action, courtesy of our old friend Tankathon.com:
The Sixers' win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night has temporarily dropped them from No. 7 to No. 6 in the lottery standings, with the Brooklyn Nets returning to the sixth slot. But remember, getting into the No. 6 slot does not guarantee the Sixers ownership of their top-six protected first-rounder. Even if they land in that spot, their pick will have greater than a 50 percent chance of heading to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The dream scenario for all of the draft enthusiasts out there in the Philadelphia area is that the Sixers end the season with a worse record than both the Nets and the Toronto Raptors. The Sixers have spent the last few days behind both; jumping from the No. 7 slot in the lottery to No. 5 would more than double their chances of keeping their pick:
| Lottery position | Chance of keeping pick |
| 1 | 100.0% |
| 2 | 100.0% |
| 3 | 93.0% |
| 4 | 81.1% |
| 5 | 64.0% |
| 6 | 45.8% |
| 7 | 31.9% |
| 8 | 26.3% |
| 9 | 20.2% |
| 10 | 13.9% |
| 11 | 9.4% |
| 12 | 7.1% |
| 13 | 4.7% |
| 14 | 2.4% |
How might these lottery standings change between now and next Wednesday? Let's dive in:
The week ahead
Let's break down the schedules over the next seven days of the Sixers, Raptors and Nets:
Sixers: Thursday @ Boston Celtics (43-18), Sunday vs. Utah Jazz (15-46), Monday @ Atlanta Hawks (28-34)
The Sixers will be massive underdogs in Boston on Thursday, and they will have an uphill battle ahead of them on Monday in Atlanta as well despite the Hawks' sputtering since burgeoning star forward Jalen Johnson went down for the season. The Hawks do not own their first-round pick this year, however, so their Trae Young-led team has no incentive to do anything other than win. Sunday's game will be an interesting one, as the Jazz are on a remarkable tanking run right now. That game will serve as a return for two former Sixers: former first-round pick Jaden Springer, who recently landed with the Jazz and inked a three-year deal with Utah, and KJ Martin, salary-dumped by the Sixers despite a promising season and rerouted by the Detroit Pistons to Utah.
Raptors: Friday vs. Utah Jazz (15-46), Saturday vs. Washington Wizards (11-49), Monday vs. Washington Wizards (11-49)
This is an absolute dream slate for the Raptors to have if you are a Sixers fan, particularly after the Raptors stole a win in Orlando despite playing horrid lineups down the stretch thanks to a bizarre game-winner from rookie Ja'Kobe Walter:
Ja'Kobe Walter wild 3 for the win ‼️
The rook wins it for the @Raptors 😲 pic.twitter.com/um27XE7MeS— NBA (@NBA) March 5, 2025
Toronto will play three games at home this week, and all of them will come against likely the two worst teams in the entire NBA. The Wizards have far and away the worst record in the NBA right know, and an absolutely remarkable tanking effort in recent games has brought Utah within striking distance of Washington.
Even with prized second-year sharpshooter Gradey Dick ruled out for multiple weeks for the Raptors, they will find themselves as heavy favorites at home in all three of their games next week. With the Sixers and Raptors facing off next Wednesday, there is a real path for the Sixers to inch closer to surpassing Toronto.
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Nets: Thursday vs. Golden State Warriors (34-28), Saturday @ Charlotte Hornets (14-46), Monday vs. Los Angeles Lakers (39-21), Tuesday @ Cleveland Cavaliers (51-10)
The Lakers and Cavaliers are two of the NBA's elite teams right now, and Golden State was humming prior to Jimmy Butler's brief injury (Butler should be on the floor against the Nets on Thursday). Winning any of those games will be an uphill battle for the Nets, but are liable to bank a victory in Charlotte on Saturday, as the rudderless Hornets are among the very worst teams in the league.
While Toronto is currently ahead of Brooklyn in the lottery standings, the Nets feel far more difficult for the Sixers to stay ahead of in the lottery standings by the end of the regular season than the Raptors, who whether they like it or not are going to stumble into more wins than would be ideal for their draft positioning based on the wildly easy nature of their remaining schedule. The Nets have far less talent than the Raptors and more avenues to bank some late-season losses.
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