Is next season as a tank pretty much off the table?

[JimLes]

We might be in a unique situation, but I just can't see Ainge drafting an 18 year old Cooper Flagg and deciding he's the guy before seeing him play a minute of NBA basketball.

If Flagg isn't "the guy" then I really don't know who the guy would be.

 

[idiot]

I don't think there has ever been a team that has decided to start using assets to bring in a win now players based on a draft pick. We might be in a unique situation, but I just can't see Ainge drafting an 18 year old Cooper Flagg and deciding he's the guy before seeing him play a minute of NBA basketball.

You might be right about whether the decision is based on one particular draft pick. But I think @fishonjazz is right that the overall situation is the better guide. Houston decided to get win now vets after (probably not because of) drafting Amen, and it's seemed to work out pretty well because of their overall situation. OKC started to win (whether they wanted to tank or not) after drafting Chet, even though he wasn't even playing that season.

So my point is that the overall team situation is going to dictate whether we start to win. The FO may contribute to what that overall situation is through win-now moves, but presumably they would do so (rightly or wrongly) on their evaluation that the time is right.