The Detroit Pistons are on pace for one of the worst seasons in NBA history, but they earned a much-needed win over the Charlotte Hornets in their latest outing. Veteran sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic led the 5-39 Pistons to a 113-106 victory with 34 points on 12/23 shooting.
After the win, Bogdanovic spoke to Bally Sports Detroit about his team’s performance and shouted out their defensive masterclass in the fourth quarter.
“It’s a great feeling after many games that we lost in a row,” Bogdanovic said. “We played the best quarter we have so far defensively. 14 points in the last quarter … that’s the effort and the defense we need going forward in order to win games.”
Only eight teams in the league have allowed fewer points in a fourth quarter this season. Incredibly enough, Detroit had not allowed less than 110 points in a basketball game since Nov. 10. The Pistons have held a bottom-three defensive rating in the league this season, allowing a whopping 122.6 points per game with a 120.4 defensive rating.
According to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, Bogdanovic has garnered some interest from various teams ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline. Despite previous reports that they were not looking to move him, the Pistons have become more open to trading the 34-year-old. Edwards says Detroit’s asking price for Bogi is a “good” first-round pick and a “good” player.
The Pistons are now on pace for nine wins this season, so it should not surprise fans if they sell win-now pieces for future draft assets and young players. Detroit needs to figure out the direction of the franchise soon, and trading Bogdanovic may unfortunately have to happen if the Motor City wishes to continue its rebuild.
Bogdanovic has provided Pistons fans with one of the team’s few bright spots this season, averaging 20.2 points on 41.7% shooting from three. While his veteran leadership has not led to many wins, Bogdanovic’s individual excellence has positioned him as one of the primary trade targets for contending teams and teams in the playoff hunt.
With Cade Cunningham set to return from injury soon, better days are hopefully ahead for the Pistons.
