The Detroit Pistons and OKC Thunder headlined Tankapalooza 2022 last night, with both teams trotting out lineups of backups for most of the game.
Just about all of OKC’s best players are out for the season with dubious injuries and the Detroit Pistons decided to rest Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart after they played just a half a quarter.
It was an ugly game full of guys that most casual fans would not recognize, but if you are into player development, this was the night for you!
Killian Hayes stepped up in their absence, scoring a career-high 26 points and adding eight assists, seven rebounds, five steals and two blocks in the best game of his career.
It was great to see Killian aggressive all night, as OKC had no answer for his dribble penetration and he was able to kill them with little floaters and kick outs all night. It took him 25 shots to get his 26 points, but he did knock down 12 of them for 48 percent overall.
Hayes is still a work in progress, but has been much better of late, and if he can keep improving on finishing these drives, he is going to be a very solid two-way player. He can be the Pistons’ Marcus Smart and last night looked the part.
It was a game neither team wanted to win, and leaves the Detroit Pistons teetering on the brink of worse lottery odds. Here are three takeaways from the Big Tank 2022.
Detroit Pistons’ lottery odds
The Detroit Pistons still have the third-worst record in the NBA, and the win put them two games ahead of both Orlando and Houston, who are tied for the worst record.
They are now just a half game behind the Thunder for the fourth-worst record, and just three games behind the Pacers for the fifth-worst.
Climbing to fourth-worst would not be the end of the world, as it would only change the Pistons’ lottery odds for a top-4 pick by four percent and their chances at number one overall by 1.5 percent.
I don’t mind that the Detroit Pistons are winning, as I think the gain developmentally is more important than a few measly percentage points, but it would have been nice to at least play Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey a little longer since they were clearly going to win either way.
It will come down to the last four games against the Pacers, Mavericks, Bucks and 76ers to see who wins the race to the bottom.
The Detroit Pistons’ win the bench battle vs. OKC
So this game was pretty much all bench, as most of the starters for the Detroit Pistons didn’t return after the midway point of the first quarter and most of the OKC starters WERE their bench.
The Pistons scored a whopping 60 bench points behind 26 from Frank Jackson, who would love to finish the season strong and give the Pistons motivation to pick up his team option for next season.
Jackson has had a disappointing year, as he has missed a lot of time with injury and his shooting numbers have dipped, but games like this remind the Detroit Pistons that he can be a weapon off the bench and comes at a discount.
Saben Lee had 11 points and 12 assists and just one turnover in 35 minutes, many of which were spent as the primary ball handler.
The Pistons will also have to make a decision on whether Saben Lee is part of the future or a guy who is a G-League MVP but not ready for prime time.
The Pistons also got extended looks at Jamorko Pickett and Braxton Key, two interesting players who could end up being keepers.
Have the Detroit Pistons found some deep bench players?
I think it is safe to say that the Pistons hit a home run in the draft with Cade Cunningham, as he is going to be a superstar and the guy they build around.
They hit solid doubles with Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart, who look to be high-end role players at least and guys who are also part of the future.
But they have also hit a number of singles late in the draft with guys like Isaiah Livers (who looks like a rotation player for next season) and you can possibly add Jamorko Pickett to that list, as well as the recently acquired Braxton Key.
Most fans have no idea who Braxton Key is, but he has played well for the Detroit Pistons on a 10-day contract, showing the ability to defend multiple spots, run the floor and knock down the occasional 3-point shot.
Pickett also played well last night, with 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks, though he only made four of his 13 attempts from downtown.
Livers, Pickett and Key are all long, versatile forwards who provide energy, can defend multiple spots and could be part of the Pistons’ future plans.
Livers is a given since he is already signed, but it will be interesting to see if either Pickett or Key can work their way onto next season’s roster. It will be an uphill battle for both, but both have shown potential as two-way wings with good length.