By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The NBA regular season is almost over. We know who the top contenders are and also the struggling teams. This makes me wonder what is the worst division in the league?

It looks like the Southeast division is by far the weakest. The best team, the Miami Heat are only 38-38. Every other division leader has at least 50 wins.

Miami currently holds the eighth seed in the playoffs. Orlando (38-39) is ninth and Charlotte (35-41) is tenth.

The other two teams in the division, Washington (32-46) and Atlanta (28-49) are terrible.

One of the reasons the division is so bad is because it lacks talent. Only four players made the 2019 All-Star Game and only one was a starter. They were Kemba Walker (24.9 PPG, 5.6 APG), Nikola Vucevic (20.4 PPG, 10.6 RPG), Bradley Beal (25.1 PPG, 5.4 APG) and Dwyane Wade (14 PPG). Being honest, Wade was voted in out of sympathy because it is his last season.

Walker has made three All-Star appearances. John Wall is also an elite player that has made five All-Star teams but he was injured in December (ruptured Achilles) and he is out the rest of the year.

Historically, these teams are some of the worst in the NBA. The Miami Heat are the most successful with three championships. All of them came this century. The only other franchises that have championships are the Washington Bullets (1978) and St. Louis Hawks (1958).

The Orlando Magic have reached the Finals twice. Charlotte has never made a Finals appearance. Another possible reason for the lack of success might be due to having several smaller markets.

Fans in the South may have better days ahead due to the young talent available. Rookie Trae Young got off to a slow start when the season began. The Hawks drafted Luka Doncic and traded him on draft night for Young.

I still feel that Doncic is the better player but Atlanta also gained an additional first round pick this year because of that trade. I think that could turn out to be a great move in the long run.

Young has averaged 25.8 PPG, 9.0 APG and 4.4 RPG since the All-Star break and became only the eighth rookie in league history to log at least 35 points and 11 assists in a game during the Hawks’ 133–111 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 20-year-olds claim to the rookie class’ highest honor has since gained traction, with Donovan Mitchell, Kyle Kuzma and Blake Griffin all declaring Young the victor after he dropped 32 points, 11 assists and a game-winner on the Philadelphia 76ers.

The current projected draft order will have Atlanta picking fifth and sixth overall.

Washington should have the seventh pick. Charlotte (12^th), Miami (13^th) and Orlando (15^th) all have high draft picks. They all have the opportunity to acquire great players that can change the hopes of the franchise.

I cannot picture any of these teams being contenders next season but they can improve. I think we will see multiple teams from the Southeast make the playoffs in 2020.