The Detroit Pistons lost to the Houston Rockets last night, their 8th straight defeat and their 18th in their last 19 games.
The loss should all but guarantee that the Pistons end with the worst record in the NBA, which comes with the benefit of falling no lower than 5th in the NBA Draft Lottery.
Detroit would practically have to win out to overtake Houston, as they are 2.5 games behind with only five left to play. The 2022-23 tank is not officially over yet, but for all intents and purposes it is, which is reason enough to celebrate for fans who are ready for the sweet relief of the offseason.
It was a tight back and forth game between two evenly matched teams and the margin of defeat for Detroit came down to free throws, as the Rockets shot 18 more free throws than the Pistons and ended up with a +16 advantage in points from the line.
Jaden Ivey, who had been getting to the line more frequently of late, didn’t shoot a single free throw while Jalen Green shot 16 by himself. It was a good learning opportunity for the rookie, who finished the game with 18 points and nine assists in his quest to make the All-Rookie first team.
Detroit and Houston will likely finish with the worst and second-worst records in the NBA, respectively, but which team is further along in its rebuild?
Detroit Pistons vs. Houston Rockets: Which rebuild is going better?
The Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets started rebuilding about the same time and the results have been similar, as they have both been awful in recent years as they try to stockpile young talent.
The Rockets had a big head start, as they had a former MVP in James Harden to trade for assets, while Troy Weaver took on a team that had literally nothing of value.
The two teams are very similar in that they are young, building around dynamic guards from the 2021 NBA Draft and still have a long way to go. Their young talent matches up favorably and both will have high draft picks and cap space to spend this summer.
Houston did sweep the season series 2-0 this year, but barely, and that was without Cade Cunningham in the lineup. But for now, you have to give the Rockets a slight edge, though I would bet that Detroit overtakes them next season when Cunningham returns.