The Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder have quietly been two of the more entertaining teams of the season even though they are both near the bottom of their respective divisions.
You could say that both teams are “tanking” but both have played competitively for most of the season and are getting big developmental minutes for their young core as they rebuild, so their season will be viewed as a success regardless of where they end up in the standings.
The Detroit Pistons just got rookie point guard Killian Hayes back from injury and are trying to work him back into the fold to get something positive out of a season that has mostly been lost.
Hayes’ minutes and play will be heavily scrutinized over these last games and the Pistons hope he can start building some momentum for the offseason.
Here are three things to watch as two young teams do battle in Oklahoma City.
Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes passing
I wrote yesterday that the Pistons are not ready for Killian Hayes’ passing after watching them throw up brick after brick against the Knicks.
Hayes had a couple of beautiful dimes that ended in dunks but he also set teammates up several times only to watch them miss the shot.
The Pistons’ offense has been terrible this season and they are definitely going to have to add some scoring in the offseason if they want to take the next step as a team.
Hayes was setting up his teammates consistently in his 20 minutes last game but they weren’t making the shots, which will be something to keep an eye on in this one.
Hayes’ best skill right now is his passing, so I’d love to see him lean into it, handle the ball more and keep setting up his teammates. Hopefully they can knock down a few more of the open shots he’s creating.
Detroit Pistons: It’s time to tighten the rotation
Dwane Casey has played just about every conceivable lineup at this point and used every player but Sekou Doumbouya against the Knicks: This needs to stop.
The Pistons are a young team that has dealt with injuries all season, so it made sense that Casey was shuffling lineups and using whoever he needed to.
Once the Pistons traded Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose, the picture was a little clearer and now it’s time for Casey to start making some choices.
How are players ever going to get into a rhythm if they don’t know when or if they’ll be playing? Not all of these guys are going to be on the team next season, so pick out the guys who you feel have the strongest chance and let them start to build some chemistry.
It’s time to see Hamidou Diallo and Killian Hayes together in the starting lineup. We’ve seen enough of Wayne Ellington, Cory Joseph and Rodney McGruder for the season and Casey should really start making decisions at point guard as well.
I wrote about the depth chart I’d like to see for the remainder of of the season and it involves playing the young guys and veterans who need the developmental time together and are most likely to be on the team next season.
We are 2/3 of the way through the season, it’s time to pick a team already.
Detroit Pistons: Hamidou Diallo vs. Svi Mykhailiuk
When the Pistons traded Svi Mykhailiuk and a second-round pick for Hamidou Diallo, I thought that they got a steal.
Diallo has not disappointed so far, filling up the stat sheet in all of his games, flashing an improved long-range shot as well as the defense and athleticism that he is known for.
I still think the Pistons won that trade easily and it will look even better if they can sign Diallo to a reasonable extension in the offseason.
Mykhailiuk has also played marginally better since being traded, although that is mostly down to him getting a few extra minutes per game.
His scoring and rebounding averages have gone up, but his shooting percentages are exactly the same from long-range, so it’s not like he’s been lights out, he’s just playing five more minutes than he was with the Pistons.
The Detroit Pistons clearly got the better player but it would still be nice to solidify that by seeing Diallo dominate in his first game against his old team.
Diallo’s teammates were all sad to see him go, but they’ll still be trying to shut him down. Diallo has been provided efficient energy since joining the Pistons and will hopefully have another big game tonight against his old team to make Troy Weaver look even better.