Checking in on the Victor Wembanyama NBA Draft sweepstakes

The NBA regular season has hit the quarter pole. Several teams are positioning themselves for the NBA Draft Lottery ping pong balls. The top three teams in the draft lottery have the same 14% chance at landing the first overall pick. The NBA solved the lottery problem by flattening out the odds. Charlotte Bobcats, the 2016 Philadelphia 76ers and the 2010 New Jersey Nets were tanking teams.

The Victor Wembanyama NBA Draft sweepstakes is taking place. There were seven teams that were supposed to be tanking for Webbanyam. Now, 20 games into the season, things have changed.

Detroit Pistons are 5-18 and have a very weak schedule. Cade Cunningham is injured and could miss the rest of the season. If Cunningham gets back and the team takes off, they could be in the top three in lottery odds.

The Houston Rockets are 5-15 and have a record of 18th in the NBA. They play a lot of young players and are expected to be bad. Victor Wembanyama is a prospect to add to their young core.

Orlando Magic are 5-16 and have the worst record in the NBA. They are five games out of the playoffs. Orlando has the most difficult remaining schedule in NBA and a history of not winning enough to take themselves out the draft.

The San Antonio Spurs are 6-15 and have a record of .502. They are 13th in the NBA's remaining schedule strength. After a surprising 5-2 start, Pop and crew are serious about their lottery odds.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are 8-13 and are in rebuilding mode. New Orleans Pelicans have the swap rights to take the Lakers pick this season. Los Angeles has been awful recently, but has no reason to tank. The Pelicans should get a nice pick after the trade. The Lakers are 7-12 and their schedule strength is .510. They are also injury prone and have a tough remaining schedule. Their best players are older and injury-prone.

Charlotte Hornets have had an injury-ravaged start to the season. LaMelo Ball has missed the first 13 games of the campaign. Gordon Hayward has also missed time. Charlotte has a league-worst offense. The team has 13 tank-off games left.

Indiana Pacers are 12-8 and have a very tough remaining schedule. They are not going to win the Wembanyama race. Rick Carlisle has the team playing fast and getting into shootouts. With nearly $30 million in cap space, they could still pursue upgrades to buoy a playoff push.

Utah Jazz are 12-11 and have a projected record of 43-39. They have played a difficult schedule. Danny Ainge has already tanked the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets. Minnesota Timberwolves are down Karl-Anthony Towns for the next month. Utah fans will cheer for whoever is playing Minnesota each night.