1. Brooklyn Nets (26-40)
Of all the teams mentioned on and considered for this list, the Nets are the easiest choice when it comes to teams with better records that are inferior to the Grizzlies.
Frankly, Brooklyn may be one of the most difficult teams to watch this season for a bevy of reasons.
Despite boasting a payroll that adds up to $152 million and rostering three players earning over $20 million this season, this team is far from being considered a legitimate threat to do anything substantial anytime soon.
With names like Mikal Bridges, Nic Claxton, and Ben Simmons in tow, on paper this team has the makings of a fun unit. Execution, however, has been the total opposite, as the two former players have proven to be rather limited in their abilities to lead a team with their on-court play while the latter has been limited in actually participating in on-court play due to injuries (shocker).
we off that pic.twitter.com/kpBSrhyGda
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) March 5, 2024
Brooklyn's offensive philosophy has seemingly been as simple as this: give the ball to Cam Thomas or Bridges and see what they can do.
What this strategy has proven capable of doing is posting the sixth-worst scoring mark in the entire league (111.8) and a lackluster offensive rating of 113.7.
On top of this, their defensive efforts have been sub-par throughout the campaign, as they boast the 115.8 defensive rating and allow opponents at the fourth-highest three-point shooting clip (38.0 percent).
Unfortunately, it's not as if these losing ways can translate into any draft success, as their current claim to the eighth overall pick in the upcoming draft is owned by the Houston Rockets as part of the infamous James Harden trade of 2021.
At least the Grizzlies are heading toward receiving a top-flight lottery pick as a result of their losing ways and, with the emergence of guys like GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr., this gap year has been far more manageable and, simply, more entertaining than what has been seen from this Nets team that, by all accounts, is legitimately trying to contend for a playoff berth.