Where Wizards rank for most losses in a winless month

12/02/2024 12:53 PM

The Washington Wizards are the worst team in the NBA in 2024-25, and that was on full display for the entire month of November. During that time, despite playing 14 games, the Wizards went winless, dropping their overall record to 2-16. The Wizards are now on a 14-game losing streak and quickly approaching the Detroit Pistons record for most consecutive losses, which that team did last season.

They aren’t the only team to not collect a single win during an entire month throughout the NBA’s history, though. In fact, the Wizards accomplished this anti-feat within the calendar year during the 2023-24 season as well. In this article, we are going to look at some of the other notable NBA teams who lost every game in a single month, as it has now happened on 16 separate occasions, according to CBS’s Jack Maloney.

Wizards’ winless months

Losing all of a month was nothing new for the Wizards. They did the same thing early in 2024 in the month of February. The All-Star break was in the middle of February, and the Wizards came limping into the break. Jordan Poole was supposed to be the team’s new superstar, but he struggled all season long by making bone-headed decisions and struggling with efficiency. He was better on the Golden State Warriors despite having a smaller role with his old team and despite the fact that he was handed the keys to the Wizards’ offense.

Additionally, the Wizards traded their best center, Daniel Gafford, during the month of February. Not only did the move leave a gaping hole at the five spot in Washington’s rotation, but it set the precedent that the team would be tanking for the rest of the season. Plus, trades also do weird things to teams’ locker rooms, especially when a respected veteran is moved. It likely didn’t help that Gafford found immediate success on a great Dallas Mavericks team (that would eventually reach the NBA Finals), either.

By February, the Wizards were playing the young guys. They were trying to figure out which youngsters could be a part of the long-term core, but it is likely that they didn’t mind losing some extra games because of their player’s inexperience along the way in an effort to get more ping-pong balls for the NBA Draft Lottery, either.

While the All-Star Weekend usually refreshes players, that wasn’t the case for the Wizards, as they continued to lose games after returning from break. All in all, the Wizards went 0-12 during February of 2024, and there likely would have been more losses if the All-Star break hadn’t split up the month. This losing streak was notable because earlier in the season, Kyle Kuzma tweeted “At this point it’s like don’t be that team.” The tweet was in reference to not being the team that would give the Pistons a win during their historic losing streak, but Kuzma’s team ended up only winning one more game than the Pistons did last season.

Things have only gotten worse for Washington since then. The team traded Deni Advija in the offseason and drafted three first-round rookies (Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George). While adding talent for the future was smart for the Wizards, it became clear that they’d likely struggle in 2024-25, as rookies usually take a while to adapt to the NBA game. Few would have guessed Washington would be this bad, though.

The Wizards’ 14 November losses were highlighted by a 20-point defeat against the Miami Heat to kick off the month, a 24-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies despite Memphis being ravaged by injuries, and a loss where they allowed an embarrassing 139 points to a young San Antonio Spurs team.

Overall, the Wizards lost 13 of those 14 games by double digits, and seven of those games were 20-point-plus blowout losses. The rookies showed flashes, but they all struggled mightily with efficiency, and Kyle Kuzma has lost a step in comparison to last season. The only real positive during that stretch was Bilal Coulibaly’s defense, but he isn’t enough of a scorer on the other end to make up the difference for the Wizards. November is over, which is a relief for Washington, but their losing streak isn’t over yet. If they don’t get some wins soon, then they will again be joining historic company in the worst kind of way.

Other notable winless months

The Wizards’ winless November saw them drop 14 games, but they didn’t play as many games as some of the other teams historically who didn’t catch a single victory in a respective month. After all, the NBA took off election day, and because November was filled with NBA Cup games, there were a good amount of days that each team had off in comparison to other months in NBA history.

The record for the most losses in a winless month ever belongs to the ’96 Vancouver Grizzlies. The team that is now located in Memphis was an expansion team back in 1995, and things weren’t easy in their first season. They endured a 23-game losing streak from February to April, and that included a winless March. That month, they went 0-17. The team was filled with expansion draft players and aging veterans, so it took time to develop a roster that could compete. However, a fellow expansion team also located in Canada, the Toronto Raptors, found more immediate success.

Four teams went 0-16 in a respective month. The 2015-16 Philadelphia 76ers (November), 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats (April), 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers (January), and 1981-82 Utah Jazz (March). The 76ers were under the ultimate tank job that season. Their effort to acquire loads of high draft picks was known as “The Process.” It resulted in high draft picks such as Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, Jahlil Okafor, and Joel Embiid being drafted by the team, but it didn’t work out like the team would have hoped, with the exception being Joel Embiid. The center has an MVP to his name, but he has also had problems of his own throughout his career, namely consistent injury issues.

The Bobcats entire 2011-12 season was disastrous, not just the month of April. That team still holds the record for the worst season in NBA history. They went 7-59 and had a winning percentage of just .106, both of which are the worst marks in league history. The season didn’t even result in the top draft choice, which would have been Anthony Davis. Instead, the Bobcats had to settle for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at pick two.

The 2010-11 season for the Cavaliers succeeded LeBron James bolting in free agency for the Miami Heat. Of course, regression was expected, but the Cavaliers’ drop-off was drastic, and it was highlighted by their winless January. The team finished 9-63 overall. Cleveland was at least awarded Kyrie Irving in the 2011 NBA Draft because of their struggles.

The early ’80s Jazz teams didn’t yet have Karl Malone or John Stockton, who made them consistent winners in the years to follow. The team went 25-57, which is certainly bad but not as bad as the other teams who have lost as many games as them in a single month.

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