With a little over a month left in the season, the Indiana Pacers officially own the worst record in the NBA and are in a solid position to secure a top pick in this year's draft.
After their loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, the Pacers are 15-50. And, according to Tankathon.com, they currently have a 52.1% chance of landing a top-four pick in this year's draft and a 14% chance of securing No. 1 overall.
Heading into the season, very few expected Indiana to actually be this bad, even under the circumstances of Tyrese Haliburton's injury and Myles Turner's departure. But alas, here we are.
Of course, it's safe to say that the Pacers aren't actually as bad as their record shows. They have dealt with a plethora of injuries to key players all season long and naturally went through some growing pains as many players navigated bigger roles. Regardless, they are now in the driver's seat to secure the No. 1 overall pick this year. And if all goes their way, they will have a great opportunity ahead of them.
The Pacers can build a juggernaut in this year's draft
Owning the worst record in the NBA doesn't automatically mean Indiana will secure the No. 1 draft pick, but it will certainly help. And fortunately for them, this is a fantastic year to have a high draft pick.
This year's draft class is expected to be one of the best ones in recent years. Players like Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, and Caleb Wilson are all potential franchise players at the NBA level. And if they weren't all in the same draft class, they might each get drafted first overall.
Additionally, even beyond those four, there's a ton of talent in the draft, including players like Kingston Flemings, Darius Acuff, and Keaton Wagler.
If the Pacers can add any of these players to a roster that already has what it takes to compete in a mostly wide-open Eastern Conference, it would greatly boost their championship odds. However, there is a caveat to this.
As part of the Ivica Zubac trade with the Los Angeles Clippers last month, Indiana will only retain its first-round pick this year if it falls between 1-4 and 11-30. Any other spot and it goes to Los Angeles.
This might not be ideal, but it's far from a nightmare scenario. If the pick falls below No. 4, the Pacers likely wouldn't care as much about who they may lose out on anyway because of the talent drop-off. And even if they lose the pick, they still have a great roster.
The future is bright in Indiana, regardless of the team's record at the moment. But if they can get their hands on one of the top prospects in this year's draft, then their long-term outlook will become even better.