The Detroit Pistons were defeated by the Charlotte Hornets last night, their 10th straight loss overall, which helped them maintain their position as the worst team in the NBA.
It was an UGLY ugly first half for the Pistons, as they turned the ball over 12 times and scored just 50 points overall. They finished the game with 19 turnovers, but it was the first quarter that killed them once again, as they came out flat, sloppy and got behind, prompting head coach Dwane Casey to make this assessment:
Casey on tonight's loss to Hornets: "I thought our approach was disappointing. Tonight was the first night during this rebuild that I thought we were in La-La Land."
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) March 10, 2023
I’m not sure what or where “La-La Land” is exactly but I’m certain this isn’t the first time the Pistons have been there, as they’ve had a nasty habit of falling way behind in the 1st quarter this season. They average the fewest points in the 1st quarter in the entire NBA and have the second-worst margin in the first.
One player who unexpectedly showed up last night was veteran Cory Joseph, who actually led the team in scoring with 17 points, not something I expected to see this season. Joseph was rewarded for his efforts and played more minutes than his two younger counterparts, logging 24 while Killian Hayes (19) and RJ Hampton (17) split the remaining guard bench minutes.
It was the first game back from a hand injury for Killian Hayes, but not much changed.
Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes puts up an 0’fer
Killian Hayes came back from a hand injury that forced him to miss a couple of games, but unfortunately, the time off didn’t help break him out of his slump.
He missed all of six his shots, though he did add five assists and four rebounds. But he had more turnovers (2) and fouls (2) than points, which is a fairly rare achievement. This is a microcosm of his career so far, as Hayes can affect games with his passing and defense, but still struggles to consistently make shots.
Everything has gone south for him since the Paris game, as he has shot just 30.1 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from the 3-point line in the 16 games since playing in his home country.
The Detroit Pistons will have to decide whether to extend Hayes this summer or to let him return on an expiring deal, and it appears for now that it will be the latter if he is not traded in the offseason.