The Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets met in a battle of two teams near the bottom of their respective divisions.
The Rockets have lost an astounding 19-games in a row and have now taken the Pistons’ spot as the second-worst team in the NBA.
The Pistons are still in the bottom three, so they have the same odds, but with the Magic tanking away, the Pistons are at some risk of hurting their draft odds.
The Pistons have been playing competitively all season and are not going to lay down, and personally I’d rather see their lottery odds dip slightly than watch a team that doesn’t care.
The Detroit Pistons are an entertaining, dare I say, “good” 12-win team, so the season is going better than planned on all fronts. They are getting big contributions from Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart and have a competition brewing at point guard.
With young guys playing well and competing for spots, this team is not tanking in the traditional sense and it’s been a joy to watch for fans of the Detroit Pistons.
Here are three takeaways from the win over Houston.
Detroit Pistons: Another young point guard makes his case
After watching Dennis Smith Jr. and Saben Lee play well, Frank Jackson finally got his turn in the starting lineup and has made the most of it.
He scored 23 points on 5-of-5 from 3-point range and put his name in contention for a future roster spot. Jackson has always been a streaky scorer and had some big games in New Orleans, but the Pistons have been raving about his improved shooting and could envision him in Wayne Ellington’s role in the future.
The Detroit Pistons are a in a great place, as they have a glut of young talent at point guard, which is a good problem to have.