The Detroit Pistons are just 2-8, which was not the start they were hoping for, though I don’t think it is surprising given the injuries to their bench and a schedule that had them playing three back-to-backs in the first 10 games.
This season is far from over, and there have been some bright spots, but they are entering a brutal stretch of the schedule, so this could get out of hand quickly.
And with Victor Wembanyama on the way, it won’t be hard to convince any team, including the Pistons, that tanking for one more season is worth the 14 percent odds.
Wembanyama has been spectacular in seven games so far, averaging 21 points per game, blocking nearly three shots, and routinely doing things that don’t seem humanly possible for someone who is 7-foot-4:
Victor Wembanyama's handle 🤯 pic.twitter.com/UCCGSeyzpO
— NBA (@NBA) November 4, 2022
We haven’t gotten into Tankathon 2022 yet, but highlights like these are going to have the rebuilding teams salivating. I don’t think the Detroit Pistons want to tank this season, as they are trying to be competitive, but so far they look like one of the frontrunners in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.
We’ll obviously be keeping an eye on this all season, so here are where things stand after the first 10 games.
Detroit Pistons: The Victor Wembanyama watch
Here are the current NBA standings at the bottom:
- Houston 1-9
- Detroit 2-8
- Orlando 2-8
- LA Lakers 2-7
- Golden State 3-7
- Charlotte 3-7
Not the worst! Not the worst!
As you can see, the Pistons are tied for the second-worst record in the league with Orlando, a team they beat for one of their two wins. This would give them maximum odds of 14 percent for the number one pick.
The Warriors are obviously the big surprise here, as they have started 3-7, though I wouldn’t expect them to be anywhere near the rest of this group after 25 games. The Lakers are the funniest part of this list, as they would have to swap picks with the New Orleans Pelicans, so are pretty much tanking for no other reason than to potentially make the Pelicans a super team.
Hopefully, the Detroit Pistons will be one of the teams that crawls out of this hole, but after 10 games they are right in the mix with the tankers. We will check back on this in another 10 games and see how things have shifted.