After last night’s overtime loss to the Wizards, the Detroit Pistons have dropped 10-in-a-row and easily have the worst record in the NBA.
It was another game in which they were leading by double digits and then gave it away in the second half, which is a frustrating way to lose a game.
I’m probably the most optimistic Pistons’ fan out there, as I had low expectations for the season and mostly care about the development of Cade Cunningham and the other young players.
But even I am disappointed by just how bad they have been, especially during this 10-game streak, which has revealed some glaring flaws with this team.
Before we get into the disappointments, I should say that Cade has been great lately and it looks like the Pistons finally have a star, which is the most important part of a rebuild.
Regardless of how many games we lose, Pistons’ fans should be happy that at least we have Cade.
Now onto the 10 biggest disappointments during this 10-game losing streak.
Detroit Pistons’ 10 biggest disappointments
The Bench is awful
I already wrote that the Pistons’ bench is a disaster, so I won’t rehash the whole thing. Other than Frank Jackson and Hamidou Diallo, I don’t think there is an NBA rotation player on this bench. Frank and Hami have been wildly inconsistent, but at least they occasionally flash a useful NBA skill. The others, not so much. Losing Kelly Olynyk has hurt the Pistons’ bench for sure, but otherwise they are just a bunch of bad basketball players.
Saddiq Bey’s 3-point shooting
There are signs that Bey is starting to snap out of it, though he was inexplicably benched last night after going 2-of-4 from long range. He has made three or more 3-point shots in four of the last ten games but he’s still shooting under 30 percent for the season. It’s not just that he is missing them, it’s that he’s been hesitant to let it fly and has thrown up more airballs than I care to remember. I am at the point where I do not expect his shots to go in. I still have high hopes for Saddiq Bey and think he’ll come around, so I am not worried, but I am mildly concerned.
Trick or Treat Frank Jackson
Frank Jackson had a great night shooting the ball last night, hitting 5-of-7 from long range and he has made three or more 3-pointers in five of the last ten games. The problem is that he also had four games in that stretch where he made zero or one from long range. It seems to be all or nothing with Frank, and he has not provided the type of consistent scoring they need off the bench. His “trick or treat” play has led to a 9.4 points per game scoring average and less than 30 percent from 3-point range, which is not good enough for a guy who should at least average double digits.