The Indiana Pacers have won two of their last four games (and probably should've beaten the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday), which would normally be solid. But right now specifically, this could be the start of something bad for the Pacers, who could be in danger of losing this year's first-round pick at this rate.
Indiana traded its pick to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Ivica Zubac-Bennedict Mathurin swap. Even though it's heavily protected (it only goes to Los Angeles if it falls in the 5-9 range), this was a huge risk considering how stacked this year's class is.
It's not going to be perfect, but the best way for Indiana to increase its odds of keeping the pick is to lose as many games as possible. Seriously, losses are more like wins for the team right now because the worse their record is, the better chance they have of securing a top-four pick (which is ultimately all that matters right now).
However, they are on a bit of a "hot streak" by this season's standards, and with only a couple of weeks left on the schedule, this could become a problem very soon.
The Pacers may be winning a bit too much
This sounds ridiculous, but in all seriousness, the Pacers probably can't afford to win too many games from here on out (unless they only care about ending the season on a high note to ride some momentum into the next one).
They still own the worst record in the NBA, but it's close. They are just four games behind the Utah Jazz, who own the fifth-worst record in the league (for reference, they have a 42.1% chance of landing a top-four pick in the draft and a 10.5% chance of securing No. 1 overall because of their spot in the standings, according to Tankatahon.com).
Additionally, the Pacers are just 0.5 games behind the Washington Wizards, one game behind the Brooklyn Nets, and 1.5 games behind the Sacramento Kings in the standings. And all of those teams are certainly capable of losing every game they have on their schedule from here on out.
This year's draft class is loaded. AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, and Darryn Peterson are all legitimate candidates to get drafted first overall, Caleb Wilson has the potential to be a franchise guy in the NBA, and the rest of the projected lottery is filled with talented players like Kingston Flemings, Darius Acuff, and Keaton Wagler.
If the Pacers have the opportunity to, being able to add a top prospect from one of the best classes in recent years to a roster that's already championship-caliber would be a dream come true. But they will need a lot of luck to be on their side, and the more they win, the more luck they're going to need.