5 Worst NBA teams of the 21st century

#3 New Jersey Nets, 2009-10 season

Rajon Rondo #9 of the Boston Celtics makes a pass in the lane against Brook Lopez #11 of the New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets were on their way to setting an NBA record for most losses in a season, if not for a timely intervention that saw them win five of their last 12 games in the season. They started the season on a 0-18 run, the worst start to a campaign to date.

Brook Lopez was coming off an impressive NBA rookie season and was looked to for production. He delivered the goods, averaging 18.8 points and 8.6 rebounds, but did not get much help from his teammates.

The Nets struggled to find their way, shuffling through three managers during the season. However, they managed to win only twelve of their 82 games in the 2009-10 NBA season. They had the worst offensive rating in the league (100.6) but were not as bad defensively, finishing the season ranked 25th in defensive rating.

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#2 Philadelphia 76ers, 2015-16 season

Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers matched the Nets' awful 0-18 start during their 2015-16 NBA campaign. At the end of the season, they had a 10-72 run with a .122 win percentage.

"With the 1st pick in the 2016 NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select..." pic.twitter.com/XSlfGcZ3uU

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) June 23, 2020

Although the 76ers already had Joel Embiid on the roster, he was sidelined for the second straight season due to injuries. The offense was their Achilles heel as they ranked last in offensive rating. Defensively, they did a better job with a 109.2 defensive rating (26th of 30th).

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#1 Charlotte Bobcats, 2011-12 season

LaMelo Ball #2 of the Charlotte Hornets

One season after the legendary Michael Jordan gained ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats, they recorded the worst run by a team in a single season. They joined the 1972-73 Sixers as the only teams in the NBA to finish a season with a single-digit win.

The 2011-2012 Charlotte Bobcats finished the 66 game season 7-59. - Worst win % of any team in NBA history- Ended season on 23 game losing streak- 40 losses were by double digits - Bismack Biyombo was team’s leading rebounder at 5.8 per game- 29.5% team three point shooting pic.twitter.com/3A9G5cUiDY

— Dallas Mavs Daily (@DallasMavsDaily) August 7, 2018

Although it was an irregular 66-game NBA season, finishing with only seven wins is outrageous. Scoring was their main problem, as they averaged only 87 points per game despite having the likes of D.J. Augustin and rookie Kemba Walker on the roster.

The Bobcats finished the season with a .106 win percentage and were ranked last in both offensive (95.2) and defensive (110.4) ratings. Unfortunately, the draft lottery was also unkind to them as they lost the No. 1 pick to the New Orleans Hornets.