This has already been a lost season for the Detroit Pistons regardless of what happens in the final 14 games.
The Pistons still have more questions than answers heading into a crucial offseason for the front office, as they will be entering year five of the rebuild and have painfully little to show for it in terms of team improvement.
The Pistons didn't even need to tank to be one of the NBA's worst teams this season, which is alarming considering this was the year in which they were supposed to turn it around.
Even though the Pistons have little to play for down the stretch, the team would love to finish the season healthy and on a high note to carry some momentum into next year. They would also like to get some answers to questions that will affect the long-term future of the core players.
Here are five trends to watch as the season winds down.
Cade Cunningham's health
Cade Cunningham had to sit against Boston with what is being called maintenance on his injured knee, and if that is all it is, there isn't much to worry about.
But Cade has yet to finish a full season or anywhere close, as he played just 64 games as a rookie, missing nine of the final 31 games.
He played just 12 games total in year two, and has missed 11 of the last 32 games in this season, not a trend he wants to continue.
He's only played 57 games total this season, so still has some work to do to even reach the 64-game mark he set as a rookie.
Cunningham has improved this season, and at times has looked the part of the superstar they need him to be, but it's concerning that your franchise player has had this many injuries this early on in his career. It happens, and players tend to get stronger as they age, but Cunningham will be lucky to hit the 70-game mark in any of his first three seasons.
This could just be a team being super cautious in meaningless games, especially when the Pistons had three games in rapid succession, but it's something to monitor.
Jaden Ivey's slump and fit
Slumps happen to all players and Jaden Ivey happens to be having one late in the season which makes it more noticeable.
He's averaging 14.6 points, 3.9 assists and 2.4 rebounds over his last 15 games while shooting just 37 percent from the floor and a brutal 22 percent from long range while firing more than five per game.
He also had a stretch when he was shooting the lights out, but his season numbers of 42 percent from the field and 32 percent from long range are hardly inspiring even if you ignore this current slump.
But possibly more concerning is that we aren't any closer to knowing if he and Cade Cunningham are a long-term fit together, as Ivey still doesn't have a clear role in the offense and it seems to change from night to night.
One thing is clear: 32 and 35 percent from long range (Ivey and Cunningham's numbers, respectively) is not great from your starting backcourt, especially with other non-shooters in the starting five.
Right now, the fit is not there, and it's hard to see how it will be unless one of these guys starts consistently hitting 3-point shots for a whole season or becomes an elite defender.
It's tough to watch Ivey regress as a shooter, as he had a higher 3-point percentage last season on more attempts per game. Will the Pistons pull the plug on this experiment in the offseason? If not, something is going to have to change.
The late-season injury brigade
Considering the Pistons were tanking in the last three seasons before this one, late-season injuries were to be expected, as they found ways to keep veterans out of the lineup in an effort to lose more games.
That's not what's happening now, which is even more concerning when you see the Pistons with five key players on the injury list.
The Pistons need as much data as possible on Simone Fontecchio and Quentin Grimes before making decisions about their futures this summer. Fontecchio has probably shown enough for a new contract, but Grimes has barely played and has been awful when he has.
The Pistons can't feel comfortable giving Grimes an extension until they see more of him, which means he may be playing out next year on an expiring deal for the Pistons.
The most frustrating thing about this season is that we still have no idea what this team has or how the parts fit, as we've barely seen them at full strength.
Outside of Cade Cunnigham and Jalen Duren, there isn't a guy who has a solid and identifiable role going forward. Is Ausar Thompson a starter? How about Isaiah Stewart? Is Simone Fontecchio a 6th man or starting wing? Can Quentin Grimes be effective with Cade? Can Marcus Sasser run the second unit?
The injuries won't help and will likely leave the Pistons with even more questions than they had when the season started.
The play of the expiring contracts on the Detroit Pistons
The Pistons have five players on some form of an expiring contract and will be watching them closely down the home stretch.
Evan Fournier, James Wiseman, Troy Brown Jr., Malachi Flynn and Simone Fontecchio could all be playing their final games with Detroit.
Other than Fontecchio, I'd be happy to see the backs of all of these players. Fournier is unlikely to return unless the Pistons need his deal for a trade, but even that possibility is unlikely.
Brown Jr. and Flynn should be gone, as they haven't been able to consistently crack the rotation of one of the worst teams in the league and the Pistons need upgrades.
James Wiseman isn't as easy, but the Pistons shouldn't extend an offer beyond a minimum with a one-year guarantee and even that might be too much.
But all of these players will likely get run in the final games and have a chance to prove they belong with the team long-term.
Will the Detroit Pistons give up?
Would we even notice the difference?
So far, the Pistons have not completely quit on their coach, and I doubt they will, as all of these individual players have reasons to compete even if they are selfish ones.
But it is a trend to watch, as it will give us some indication of how the players feel about coach Monty Williams. Do they want to fight for him and make a statement that they want him to be back next season? Or will they lie down and hope a miserable finish to a miserable season brings a fresh perspective on the bench?
It's hard to see Williams getting fired at this point, as the PR machine has been working overtime, including Evan Fournier, who recently said Williams was the best teacher he'd ever been around, whatever that is worth.
Williams will likely be back, but it's still something to watch, as you can learn a lot by effort and body language from a team late in a season. Is Monty's message wearing thin or will they be excited to run it back?