Oscar Henderson
Sport fanatic and Supercoach expert
NBA Supercoach | How will tanking affect Supercoach?
NBA and Supercoach expert Oscar Henderson talks through the impact of tanking on NBA Supercoach, and which teams to avoid
NBA
February 17, 2026
We have reached the All-Star Break, and by this time of the season, we have a pretty good idea of which NBA teams are good and the NBA teams that are ‘bad’, to put it kindly.
It is not only us NBA fans who know this, though, but it is also the teams themselves.
The Thunder have their minds well and truly set on running it back come June, while the Pistons, Nuggets, and co are all gearing up for a deep playoff run.
I personally think the top end of the NBA is great this year, with so many potential contenders and so many what-ifs.
However, the talk of the NBA right now is not these exciting, talent-filled teams, but instead the teams struggling to keep games close beyond the first quarter.
Yes, I am talking about tanking.
Now, if you are new to following the NBA, here is a brief rundown of what the term ‘tanking’ entails.
Tanking is the act of teams losing on purpose.
How do they do this?
Well, players will never intentionally try to lose, so instead, teams will try to keep it lowkey by ‘resting’ or shutting down their star players with ‘injuries’.
Or, if you are the Utah Jazz, you just bench all of your starters for the fourth quarter in a close game.
Why do they do this?
As it is actually the best thing for the future of their franchises.
The NBA draft rewards teams that have a worse record with better odds at a higher pick.
This year, with one of the more stacked draft classes in memory, it is an absolute dog fight for those top picks.
This means a lot of tanking and leads to a lot of ugly basketball, which us fans, and especially us Supercoaches, do not want to see.
How tanking alters Supercoach
But how does this impact Supercoach?
Well, it is a bit of a ripple effect, so let me talk you through it.
Star players not playing
As I already mentioned, the easiest way to set your team up for losing is by not playing your best players.
We have already seen this to a great extent with Trae Young, yet to make his debut in Washington since getting traded, and Utah pulling the plug on JJJ’s season to have knee surgery.
As the season progresses, expect to see this more often, as it makes sense.
Why would you play your superstars if you are trying to lose and they are not 100% healthy?
To a lesser extent, expect regular restings, especially on back-to-backs.
Not to mention players being healthy and starting, but only playing 20-25 minutes.
Some of us have already been burned by this, trading in Pascal Siakam a few weeks back.
As you can tell, there is simply so much uncertainty surrounding these tanking teams, and we as Supercoaches have no clue what to expect on any given night.
Tanking leads to chaos, but the solution for us is simple: avoid any and all ‘star players’ from teams that are tanking.
No matter how good their schedule looks, or how well a player performs on one night, if you want to play it safe, just don’t trade them in.
Possible cheapie gems
As with most things, there is a silver lining to these mass restings.
The minutes and usage have to go somewhere, and this is where we could land ourselves some more than viable cheapies.
At the start of the season, with so many rookies and undervalued options, cheapies are the talk of the Supercoach world, but by this time of the season, the cheapie options have dried up considerably.
With us all scrambling to include as many of the top dogs as possible in our teams, a near bottom-dollar cheapie that we can plug into our starting sides could do wonders.
As I said, it is a bit of a ripple effect.
If I hear that a star is getting shut down for the rest of the season, I will take a close look at the team to see who will benefit from this increased opportunity.
For most of these tanking teams, the minutes are likely to go to young players that the teams are trying to develop.
Making a play like this for a near bottom-dollar cheapie that is yet to produce consistent good scoring obviously comes with a risk.
But the reward of so much salary cap space freed up might just make it worth it.
To mitigate the risk in making these cheapie plays, I would try to give it at least a week before you jump on.
That said, if you are chasing ranks late in the season, maybe going early is the play…
Blowout galore
If you enjoy a punt on the NBA, you would already be well aware of just how annoying blowout victories can be.
With plenty of bad teams in the NBA this season, we have already been treated to a fair handful of them.
However, the blowouts are just getting started.
I mean, what do you expect to happen when you have a hungry, fully healthy playoff-contending team come up against a helpless Indiana Pacers side with not a single starting-caliber player?
25 minutes in a game for our premium Supercoach options is not something to look forward to.
Although earlier in the season, when OKC was at the peak of their powers, we saw Shai only play three quarters of basketball most nights, yet he still produced great Supercoach output.
My point being, blowouts are not the end of the world, and good players should still score well if they play, that is.
I expect to see more restings of star players on good teams, as teams prioritise health heading into the playoffs, still confident they can beat these tanking teams without their main guys.
Just more obstacles to keep in mind when looking at upcoming matchups and trade plans.
Who is tanking?
Now that we have gone through how tanking is going to impact NBA Supercoach for the rest of the season, the obvious question is which teams are actually tanking?
I mean, if you look at the bottom half of the standings, the answer is pretty much right in front of you.
But let’s go through them.
Looking at the very bottom of the standings, the Nets, Pacers, Wizards, Jazz, and Kings will be hoping they do not win a single game for the rest of the season.
These teams account for 5 out of the 6 worst records in the league currently, and they would all be hoping it stays this way.
Steer clear of any non-cheapie Supercoach options from any of these teams, and even for cheapies, proceed with caution.
You would notice I left one team out that currently holds just 15 wins on the season to their name.
That is the New Orleans Pelicans, and unfortunately for them, they traded away their first-round pick to the Hawks.
This obviously disincentivizes the tank, as they do not even reap the rewards from it.
For that reason, I would not be surprised if they continue to give their young players, like Fears and Queen, good opportunities.
However, as they are not competitive, don’t be surprised by restings of players like Zion or Murphy.
We then have the teams that are currently sitting around that 20-25 wins range and have a decision on their hands on what the rest of their season is going to look like.
Out of these teams, the Bulls and Grizzlies have pretty much already thrown in the towel on their seasons and seem committed to the tank.
The Mavs are yet to throw in the towel on their season despite little to none post-season hope.
So, probably expect them to start tanking soon as well.
Then you have the Bucks, who probably should be tanking, but if Giannis returns, they will struggle to do so, one to keep an eye on.
The other one to keep an eye on is the Clippers, who currently hold a play-in spot, sitting at 10th in the West.
It is unlikely they find themselves lower than this spot, as everyone below them is likely tanking, and they are 6 games ahead of the Grizzlies in 11th.
So I guess they keep trying to win on the back of Kawhi, and Garland if he gets healthy.
Just one to watch after trading away Harden and Zubac has left them in a very interesting spot.
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