Utah Jazz Slide Up the Lottery Ladder Thanks to Pelicans Win

From the beginning of the Utah Jazz rebuild, the direction and strategy was clear to any observer. Collect draft picks, develop young talent, and eventually return to competitive form and challenge the top of the NBA for a shot at the NBA Finals.

But the year is 2025 -- only three seasons into the Utah reconstruction -- and the Jazz are still miles away from competence with a depth chart capable of fielding five players aged 24 or younger at any given moment.

Though the players may not be aiming for this, losing games is overall more beneficial than winning at this point, thanks to the improved NBA Draft Lottery odds that await the lowest teams in the sport. Though far from a sure thing, securing a top draft pick (and in turn a projected top talent in any given class) only becomes more likely as the loss column swells and the wins remain stagnant.

So the recent wins by Washington and New Orleans have the Utah organization fantasizing about the end-of-season possibilities if they can retain their basement residence underneath the NBA dogpile.

Current NBA Standings - February 26, 2025

30. Washington Wizards - 10-47
T-29. Utah Jazz - 14-43
T-29. Charlotte Hornets - 14-43
27. New Orleans Pelicans - 15-43
26. Toronto Raptors - 18-40

Still four games ahead of the Washington Wizards who just collected their tenth victory of the season in 57 attempts, the Jazz are currently knotted with the Charlotte Hornets, a franchise desperate for a savior to forage their organization out of the depths.

The Hornets haven't reached the playoffs in nearly a decade, making their last and only appearance in 2015-16 since rebranding from Bobcats back to Hornets. If the basketball fates could empathize, Charlotte would have a ticket straight to the first overall pick.

Utah battles neck and neck with the Hornets for that top selection, of course, as the two organizations are deadlocked for a top-three designation and an equal 14 percent chance with Washington to claim the number-one overall pick.

Especially as Zion Williamson has returned to the court in New Orleans, the Pelicans have won two straight contests against the San Antonio Spurs to slide from their second-best odds to their current spot in fourth. 

The Pelicans are a talented team, and running their stars could spell disaster for a front office that once seemed set on maximizing their lottery odds.

The Raptors, similarly, have signed veteran forward Brandon Ingram to their roster and only stand to improve.

As it stands, the race for the top three (or bottom three) is filtering down to the current teams in each spot. As New Orleans and Toronto play their most talented hoopers, Utah and Charlotte stand to gain some distance as they continue stacking losses.

The lottery picture grows clearer by the day.