Concerning Practice ‘Tanking’ In NBA: Explained

Tanking is the deliberate formation of a weak squad with the goal of losing games in order to acquire high draught picks. More and more teams are using this tactic to increase their chances of winning championships in the NBA since nearly every club needs a superstar to be successful.

When a team is experiencing a pattern of losing seasons, missing the playoffs, or first-round exits repeatedly, these teams will tank in an effort to gain high draught picks and discover the star player who will help them get over the finish line. This 1980s-era way of thinking—”lose now, win later”—is still prevalent today. The 76ers’ recent tank job, which many have dubbed “The Process,” is the most recent.

When do NBA teams consider tanking?

In order to increase their chances of receiving a high lottery choice in the future draught, clubs frequently begin benching important players at the close of the current campaign in favour of youth.

What It Did To The Franchise

Tanking may financially devastate the NBA in addition to damaging its reputation. Four “core expectations” were found to be the most significant when it comes to a fan’s experience at sporting events after an analysis of the seven most popular sports. We see that spectators at professional sporting events demand an entertaining atmosphere as well as a high-calibre game.

The truth is that witnessing a team lose does not produce a high-caliber game or an exciting environment in the arena. The revenue of a franchise could be negatively impacted by this alone by cutting ticket sales. It did just that in the instance of the Philadelphia 76ers. The graph below displays the typical attendance for 76ers home games one year before they started to tank, during those three years, and one year later. When the average home attendance fell below 15,000 spectators from 2014 to 2016, we can clearly observe the impact it had on the team.

These declines in ticket sales and declines in franchise revenue are mutually exclusive. By fining clubs who purposefully lost games, the NBA could make up for these losses and deter tanking. The sum would vary depending on the team, but generally speaking it would be the difference in ticket sales between competitive and tanking years. The issue with this is that the league might find it difficult to tell when clubs are tanking or if they are truly that weak.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver On Victor Wembanyama & Tanking Issue

It’s hardly surprising that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver may be concentrating on a strategy to combat tanking this season, with French wonder Victor Wembanyama standing by as a top 2023 draft possibility.

Silver recently discussed the plan with Phoenix Suns staff, calling it a “serious issue” that has spurred “hundreds” of meetings, according to a report from ESPN’sBaxter Holmes. The conversation, apparently started by a Suns staffer, is likely to go on as the league chases Wembanyama, a 7-foot-3 “franchise-changing, generational prospect,” according to Yahoo Sports.

The buzz around Victor Wembanyama intensifies, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has sent a “teams on notice” and stated that the league would be “paying particular attention” to the issue of tanking. In a recent conversation with Phoenix Suns employees, Silver referred to the 7-foot-4 French star as a “once-in-a-generation player” and predicted that he will be selected first overall in the 2023 draft.

Although it is not anticipated that The Suns will be one of the teams fighting in the “Tankathon” for Wembanyama, Wembanyama was nonetheless brought up.

 

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