It’s Miserable Being A Detroit Sports Fan. Do Pistons Or Red Wings Bring More Hope?

Stop us if you’ve seemingly heard this on repeat lately, but … well, there hasn’t been much for Detroit sports fans beyond misery in recent months.

For Detroit Pistons and Detroit Red Wings fans, the struggles to return to past championship glory have continued.

How much longer will the “rebuild” for both franchises continue? Is there hope on the horizon after another dismal winter season?

Detroit Pistons struggle, now are contending for top pick

In terms of raw wins, Pistons fans knew this season would not be one to remember.

Once Detroit hired in Troy Weaver as the new general manager, the rebuilding process was getting started.

Weaver didn’t waste time, sporting cunning moves and a lot of activity during the 2020 NBA Draft.

What that has resulted in is a 19-47 record thus far, putting Detroit dead last in the Eastern Conference.

Detroit has dropped four straight after a 102-99 loss Tuesday night to the Charlotte Hornets. Only the Houston Rockets (16-49) have a worse record in the entire NBA.

That puts Detroit in prime position for a top spot in the 2021 NBA Draft to further accelerate the rebuild. The Pistons have never won the NBA Draft Lottery in franchise history.

Detroit has six games remaining on their schedule. Perhaps the biggest comes next Tuesday at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota is just 1.5 games behind Detroit in the standings for worst record.

If you’re in the betting mood, though, a DraftKings special booster for Saturday’s game at Philadelphia offers a low-hanging profit.

Detroit Red Wings make little progress

In another shortened NHL season, the Red Wings find themselves not making many steps forward.

Through 54 games, Detroit is now 18-27-9 and is eliminated from playoff contention.

Detroit’s 45 points currently ranks tied for sixth-fewest in the league. Detroit has just two more games at Columbus on Friday and Saturday to add to their point total.

Although this year hasn’t been pretty, Detroit has improved from last season. In the 2019-20 season, Detroit posted just 39 points over 71 games with a 17-49-5 record.

Steve Yzerman is in his second season as general manager, and he has started to make some moves toward the future.

The biggest move this season saw Yzerman trade Anthony Mantha to the Washington Capitals in return for a 2021 first-round draft pick, a 2022 second-round pick, as well as two players.

Yzerman has put an emphasis on adding draft capital for the next few years in hopes of rebuilding the team through the developmental road.

Are Pistons ready to contend quicker?

Between the Pistons and Red Wings, it appears the basketball boys may be in contention to more quickly rid Detroit sports fans of their misery.

The team’s three first-round draft picks from 2020 all have showed promise.

Although Killian Hayes battled an injury for a long stretch of the season, he has started to find his footing in the late stages of the year. Hayes has recorded at least five assists in 10 straight games, including five instances with at least seven.

Forward Saddiq Bey emerged as a rookie of the year contender, averaging 11.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this season. Bey has proven to be a 3-point threat, while also contributing on the glass.

Center Isaiah Stewart started slowly, but he has developed with more playing time over the second half of the season. His block numbers have been a big strength, as he has six multi-block games over his past seven outings.

Veteran forward Jerami Grant has shown he can be a go-to guy for a franchise. He has averaged 22.5 points this season while sitting second in the most improved player odds list at +1000, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

With these core pieces, Detroit gets to add in an immediate impact player in the 2021 draft as well. As bad as the Pistons have looked, the final two postseason spots in the East belong to teams well under .500. Detroit could be a dark horse in the playoff race next winter.

On the flip side, the Red Wings can’t materialize talent as quickly. Most draft picks in hockey need time to develop before joining the big leagues. Yzerman is playing the slow game, not looking for a rebuild through a sprint.