The Detroit Pistons tied a franchise record by losing their 14th straight game on Saturday. They’re inexperienced, but seeing progress in small doses.
When the Detroit Pistons faced the Houston Rockets on Nov.10, they were in very similar situations. Both teams started full rebuilds last season, with the former buying out Blake Griffin and the latter trading James Harden. The Pistons won the 2021 lottery and drafted Cade Cunningham. The Rockets took Jalen Green third overall. Detroit, the winner that night, was 2-8 afterward, while the Rockets fell to 1-10. In five weeks since, the franchises have zoomed in opposite directions. Houston has wins in nine of its past 13 games; that includes Saturday’s 116-107 win in Detroit, as well as seven straight from Nov.24-Dec.8. (The final six of which came without Green, who has been out since Nov.27 with a hamstring strain.) Veterans Eric Gordon and Christian Wood are among the Rockets’ top four in minutes over those 13 games, and their young players have filled in the gaps admirably. SATURDAY’S LOSS: Detroit Pistons tie franchise record 14-game losing streak after 116-107 loss to Rockets THE SKID: Beware: Detroit Pistons’ longest losing streaks usually travel in pairs The Pistons, meanwhile, have fallen victim to injuries and inexperience en route to 14 consecutive losses, tying a franchise record. Kelly Olynyk suffered a knee sprain in that Nov.10 win over the Rockets, hasn’t played since and is at least a week away from returning. Jerami Grant underwent thumb surgery to repair an injury suffered Dec.10 and is out until at least late January. Detroit’s center rotation has featured a lot of Trey Lyles (a natural power forward) and a little bit of Luka Garza (a 2021 second-round pick). The Pistons rotation consists mainly of rookies, second-year players and role players 26 and younger. They’ve fully embraced their youth movement, partially by design and partially by circumstance. Youth movements are good for development, but bad for winning, as evidenced by the Pistons’ 4-24 record.
