Detroit Pistons: The optimistic promise of this losing season
By Ryan Love
The Detroit Pistons are quickly moving through what fans will remember as one of their worst seasons in franchise history, and that’s the plan.
The Detroit Pistons are nearly a quarter of the way through this shortened NBA season, and the results from a win-loss standpoint are predictable.
The Pistons have lost a lot of games. They’ll continue to lose most of their games, and they’ll get a high pick in the next draft lottery.
However, there are still several variables that can alter the franchise’s trajectory whether or not they’re scoring more points than their opponents night after night.
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Head coach Dwane Casey is trying to develop several young players, and balancing that time with playing veterans who may or may not have some trade value in the future.
The current crop of college players who the Pistons will be looking at is also having its fair share of challenges as the NCAA alters its own playing schedules due to COVID-19 concerns.
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The Pistons are right where they need to be for the next NBA Draft if they’re to get a worthwhile pick.
Unlike the last few seasons when they’ve found themselves in the middle of the draft pick pack, this season will have them primed for a top pick.
As of Jan. 17, they sat at a league-worst .250 winning percentage, just below the Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards who both held steady at .270 winning percentage.
The Pistons are the only one of those three teams at the bottom who entered this season knowing that they would be in what a coach or front office executive might call a “developmental” season.
The Wizards with Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook are bound to improve, and the Timberwolves are waiting for Karl-Anthony Towns to return from injury.
That leaves the Pistons, who at times might be feisty, still showing no signs of a sudden competitive swing, and a clear view of a top-3, if not first-overall pick.