The Detroit Pistons are in the home stretch of another long and disappointing season that was full of injuries and losses.
It will all be worth it if Detroit gets lucky in the NBA Draft Lottery, but either way, let’s hope this is the last season where the word “tank” becomes part of our daily vocabulary.
With just nine games remaining, the Detroit Pistons have the worst record in the NBA, with 2.5 games between them and Houston, so it looks like they are a lock to finish in the bottom three at least.
With the lottery odds all but decided, there isn’t much to do but ride out the rest of a season that has simultaneously flown by, but also been a huge slog at times.
Here are nine things to watch in the last nine games in no particular order.
Detroit Pistons schedule: 9 things to watch in the last 9 games
#9: A chance at history
Will the Pistons win another game this season? They are currently sitting on 16 wins, which would leave them in a tie for the worst record in franchise history. If you are going to be terrible, you may as well lean into it I suppose. By the way, three of the five worst records in team history have come in the last four seasons.
#8: Eugene Omoruyi
After a hot start, Omoruyi has cooled off some, though he is still playing hard, grabbing rebounds and defending. Has he done enough to earn himself a full-time contract next season? Probably not, but he has to be the frontrunner for one of the two-way contracts for next year. He competes at a high level and is a pretty good defender, things this team needs. Speaking of two-way deals…
#7: The Nepo-Baby
Don’t look now but nepo-baby Buddy Boeheim is getting some late-season run. He’s played in six games so far and is averaging 2.3 points in limited garbage-time minutes. He had a nice second half for the Motor City Cruise, but is shooting just 19 percent from long range for the big team. For such a bad team, the Detroit Pistons got next to nothing from their two-way contracts or G-League affiliate this season, a huge failure of player development. These should be the final nine games for Buddy as a Piston unless Troy Weaver owes his dad another favor.
Detroit Pistons schedule: 9 things to watch in the last 9 games
#6: Killian Hayes finishing strong
Killian Hayes is still shooting the ball poorly, but he has been playing much better over his last six games. He just looks a lot more comfortable and has been more aggressive trying to get to the basket. Hayes is averaging 15.2 points, 9.2 assists and 2.8 rebounds over that stretch, looking more the part of the floor general coach Dwane Casey wants him to be. Hayes is undoubtedly the most polarizing Piston, (his Stans are just as annoying as the haters) but I am cheering for the guy and hope he can figure it out in Detroit.
#5: Two bigs
I’ve written enough about this already, but the Detroit Pistons seem determined to use two centers in the starting lineup for the rest of the way even though there isn’t much evidence that it is working. Marvin Bagley III did have a monster game last night, but the Pistons were eviscerated on the boards and in the paint, so it didn’t much matter. The defensive limitations are the real concern, as is Troy Weaver’s misguided desire to time travel back to the 90’s when playing two centers might have worked. We should get to see plenty of it in the last nine games and have a decent data set to look at by the end of the season. Spoiler Alert! It won’t be good.
#4: The Rookies
Two players with something to play for are the two rookies Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren. Ivey has played better defense of late (especially on the ball) but it still fairly erratic when it comes to efficiency. Duren hasn’t been able to stay on the floor, which is a shame, as it might cost him a spot on the All-Rookie team. Ivey is a lock, but it would be nice for him to finish strong and make the 1st team.
Detroit Pistons schedule: 9 things to watch in the last 9 games
#3: Playing for Dwane Casey
One of the biggest questions hanging over the Detroit Pistons this season is whether head coach Dwane Casey will be back for the final year of his contract. We know that many fans hope he gets fired, but the organization seems to have faith in him and has backed him publicly so far. But what about his team? They have been terrible of late, but have at least been playing hard, so they haven’t completely quit on their coach. I’ve no idea if that would be a factor in the team’s decision this offseason, but it is something to watch over the last nine games.
#2: Spoiler or win padder?
Of the Pistons last nine games, all but one of them are against teams that are fighting to either get into the playoffs or jockeying for seeding. The lowly Pistons could end up playing a huge part in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, and can either be the team that spoils some other team’s chances or the one that helps them to get in. It looks as though the Pistons will lock up the league’s worst record at some point, and if so, I hope they can at least play spoiler this season if nothing else.
#1: The vets
While Cory Joseph and Rodney McGruder are playing as well as any two players on the team right now, with both knocking down over 50 percent of their 3-point shots this month, the Pistons’ other two veterans, Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic haven’t played. I’m happy for McGruder and CoJo, who have been the consummate professionals in Detroit and hope they can find a better role on a good team next season. As for the other two vets, their “injuries” are a bit disappointing, as you never want to head into an offseason after missing nearly 20 games. Will either Burks or Bogs play again this season?