Bad teams are almost necessarily a fixture of any sport and era. In today’s NBA, though, the label “bad team” is far too broad to encapsulate the diverse array of pitfalls, strategies, and phases that characterize futility and mediocrity. Some bottom-dwellers are in the early stages of a clearly-defined plan, others are existential tweeners, while others still are simply paying penance for their team-building sins, hoping that success lies beyond some hazy horizon.

In a league where only the strong survive, it’s not enough to know that your team isn’t winning. Like any field worth studying, the developmental biology of NBA teams needs its own taxonomy. In this case, that means an understanding of where your favorite squad sits in the present food chain, and how far it’s advanced — or hasn’t — along its evolutionary axis.

So read on with caution. It’s a jungle out there.

The Organic Evolvers

THE PRE-BUILDER (Suckus Compilus):

The 2014–15 Philadelphia 76ers

Unlike its better-known cousins the Re-Builders (see below), the Pre-Builder does not yet possess even the basic parts of its proto-contender. Like a bottom-dwelling sea creature, the Pre-Builder lurks in the basement of the league, compiling the dregs cast off by the NBA’s marginally talented squads. This makes the Pre-Builder an easy target for stronger, faster, more skilled prey. But that is the whole idea. The Pre-Builder’s only obvious evolutionary advantage is the draft pick. But just as death has been shown to be a boon to and its only asset is its ability to lose so often that its pick will land at the very top of the lottery.

THE REBUILDER — EARLY STAGE (Tradica Rondonium)

The 2014–15 Boston Celtics

The Early Stage Rebuilder can seem at first glance to be the most directionless of all breeds of bad NBA teams. Often surrounding one or more holdovers from days of past glory with younger draft picks, salary cap albatrosses, and cheaper holdovers, the Early Stage Rebuilder is a creature stuck between phases of its own evolution. The ability to cash in on the value of whatever stars remain is paramount — both in the effort to build a viable long-term roster and to avoid losing the support of fans who have grown accustomed to success.

THE REBUILDER — MIDDLE STAGE (Talentus Sporadiciae)

The 2014–15 Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks

The Middle Stage Rebuilder has shed all past vestiges of success but not yet put together the pieces of a newly-formed contender. It is characterized by the presence of enticing potential, but lacks the depth, cohesiveness, and polish to spread its nascent wings and take flight. The Middle Stage Rebuilder’s eagerness to prove itself and indefatigable young legs make it a dangerous adversary on a night when its shots are dropping; yet a capable predator functioning at its best can typically make quick work of this breed.

THE REBUILDER — LATE STAGE (Partes Unprovium)

The 2014–15 Utah Jazz

Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon or a young bird ready to leave the nest, the Late Stage Rebuilder still has much to learn about the world but finally possesses the component pieces to make its own way. Where the Middle Stage Rebuilder possesses disparate talent without an obvious direction, the Late Stage Rebuilder has pieces that comprise a cohesive whole, although one that has yet to prove itself capable of thriving in a habitat where only the strong survive. The Late Stage Rebuilder has the greatest potential to surprise — for good or ill.