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In a perfect world, I suppose, the Detroit Pistons would be exactly where the Cleveland Cavaliers are now. Coming off a top-3 draft pick, led by young players and vaulting from 22 wins a year ago to close to 45 wins this season, a playoff berth and the likely Rookie of the Year helping lead the way.
That’s not how it has worked out for Detroit. Instead, after a year of force-feeding rookies tons of minutes, resting veterans down the stretch and successfully landing top lottery odds and the No. 1 overall pick, the Pistons find themselves … pretty much exactly where they were a year ago.
They currently have 20 wins and are likely to finish with a bottom-4 record once again. The Pistons, led by GM Troy Weaver, have talked continually about a restoration and building a winning culture. That begs the question — aren’t wins an essential ingredient to that winning culture?
I’m certain the young Pistons players want to win, and Cade Cunningham certainly has all the markings of a winning player. So the eternal question remains — does it make more sense for the Pistons to close out this season strong with wins under their belts or do they give young players an outsized share of minutes and all but ensure they lose the large majority of their final seven games?
I figured there’s nothing better than putting a question like that to a vote of Pistons fans, and so we included it in the latest SB Nation Reacts survey. What do you think the Pistons’ priority should be as the season winds down? And more importantly, why?
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