Detroit Pistons: Big night for the rookies and tank in loss vs. Bulls

If the goals of the this season are to develop young talent and tank for lottery position, then the Detroit Pistons had a great night against the Chicago Bulls.

The Pistons took another loss and the Timberwolves won, giving Detroit a little more cushion between them.

The Cavaliers, Timberwolves and Magic are now all tied for the fourth-worst record in the NBA behind the Houston Rockets, Pistons and Thunder, who have lost seven in a row and nine of their last ten.

Timberwolves’ fans must be losing their minds after their team stunk all season just to start winning meaningless games late, which could cost them their draft pick as it is only protected in the top-three.

The Pistons basically just need to stay where they are, and Minnesota’s win last night will help, as they will go head-to-head with the Pistons in the next game in what will be the tank-off of the season.

Even though the Detroit Pistons lost, the game was mostly positive, especially when it came to the four rookies.

Here are three takeaways from last night’s crucial loss.

Detroit Pistons: All four rookies shine vs. Bulls

If you are looking for positives in the loss, how about the three rookies in the starting lineup? Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart and Killian Hayes accounted for 60 points 21 rebounds and 12 assists between them.

Hayes had the best game of his career, notching 21 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, though he also turned the ball over seven times, which has been a problem of late.

Rookie Saben Lee and (technical rookie) Tyler Cook also got in on the action from the bench, adding double-digit performances, which gave the Pistons’ rookies 85 of the 96 points scored.

With nearly all of the veterans out with “injuries” again, the Detroit Pistons had the perfect night of tanking and developing, which is what this season is all about.