Detroit Pistons: NBA Draft added fuel to growing rivalry

For the past several seasons the Detroit Pistons have been one of the worst teams in the NBA, which makes it hard to build rivalries.

But hopefully that is all about to change, as Troy Weaver is determined to build a roster that can start winning in Detroit, and the groundwork has already been laid for a couple of future rivalries with other up and coming teams.

The Pistons and Magic games got heated last season, leading to Killian Hayes throwing a weird punch to the back of Moe Wagner’s head. Both teams expect to be better next season and could be fighting each other for position in the standings, so Orlando is a team that could end up being a big-time rival for Detroit to go along with the classics (Bulls, Celtics, Lakers).

But the Pistons have another rivalry brewing that should get even bigger next season, especially after taking Ausar Thompson in the NBA Draft.

Detroit Pistons vs. Houston Rockets

If you just looked at NBA Twitter, you’d never know that the Pistons and Rockets were two of the worst teams in the league.

That is because our fans have been beefing online like they just played a seven-game NBA Finals since before the 2021 NBA Draft when there was a growing debate between Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green. Detroit landed Cunningham, Houston took Green and we’ve spent the last two seasons arguing about which one is better. The two players have known each other since high school and will always want to get the better of the other when they play, so it’s not just the fans that want to prove their guy is the best.

After the Rockets drafted Amen Thompson and the Pistons drafted his twin brother Ausar a pick later, you can be sure that the Amen vs. Ausar argument is going to rage all season and into the foreseeable future.

Both teams are trying to come up at the same time and both have high-end young players who have connections to each other. Cade wants to dominate Green and Ausar wants to show that his the superior Thompson twin.

Their teammates will have their backs, which could lead to a lot of heated and exciting games between two teams trying to crawl out of the cellar.

It’s strange to say about two teams that won a combined 39 games this past season, but the Pistons vs. the Rockets just became must-watch games.