Detroit Pistons: 3 takeaways from another youthful loss to the Hornets

The Detroit Pistons lost another game in which their oldest starter was 22, and it showed, as Detroit had plenty of young mistakes.

The Pistons sit alone with the second-worst record in the NBA and are now just 2.5 games ahead of Houston, the league’s worst team.

The Pistons have a bit of a cushion now, with 1.5 games separating them from third-worst Minnesota with just six games left to play. Barring an unexpected winning streak, the Pistons should have a good chance to end with one of the bottom three records and maximize their chances at a top-four pick.

The Pistons once again failed to score 100 points, which has to be concerning, as their offense has been terrible of late.

I wrote about how the Pistons could easily have a top-ten defense next season, but they will definitely have to get more consistent on offense if they want to make a big leap as a team.

This loss to the Hornets showed some of the best and worst of the Detroit Pistons’ youth movement, as some big games were offset by a lot of young mistakes.

Detroit Pistons: Shooting and Killianayes

One of the Pistons’ biggest offseason needs will be to get some shooters.

Detroit has been a top-12 defense since getting rid of Blake Griffin, but their offense is going in the other direction, largely because they can’t shoot.

The Pistons made just 9-of-32 from behind the arc last night for a pathetic 28 percent and were even more dreadful from the free-throw line, hitting just 12-of-20 in what has become a norm.

The free throws have been particularly troubling and something the young Pistons will have to improve moving forward.

Killian Hayes also showed his age last night, having one of his worst games of the season. He only made one shot out of six attempts, and though he did add seven assists, he offset them with seven turnovers, often looking unsure with the ball.

He was torched by fellow rookie LaMelo Ball, so it was a night he’d rather forget.