The Detroit Pistons have been this year’s symbol of futility in the NBA. They have easily the league’s worst record as we enter the month of February, and have endured some seriously long losing streaks, including the 28-game skid that set a league record earlier in the season.

NBA: Hornets Have Been Worse Than Pistons Over Past Month

“Our problems aren’t their effort, their work, how much they wanna win. Our problem is that we’re under talented.”

– Steve Clifford on the Hornets

(Via @JerryDonatien ) pic.twitter.com/zJwawGduNb

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 1, 2024

At its lowest point, the team was sitting with a record of just 2-29, and were on pace to finish with the worst mark of any team in league history. It didn’t look like things had much of a chance for improvement, either, as the team routinely rolled out one of the youngest and most inexperienced rotations in the NBA.

But for all of the failures that the Pistons have endured so far this season, there has been a team that has actually been worse in recent weeks.

The Charlotte Hornets had a far better first month to the season than the Pistons, getting out to a 6-11 mark by the end of November and not quite yet in the league’s basement. But they’ve been the worst team in the NBA since December 9th, posting a record of just 3-23 in that span, one that featured an 11-game losing streak and a 6-game losing streak. They are currently riding a 5-game skid.

Charlotte Hoping LaMelo Ball Returns Soon

The Hornets (3-22) have a worse record than the Pistons (4-21) in their last 25 games. pic.twitter.com/ZLSsJyfVh7

— BrickMuse (@BrickMuse) February 1, 2024

They’ve been without their star player for essentially the entire time. LaMelo Ball injured his ankle early on in the NBA season, and sat out from November 28th until January 12th, and only played in 7 games before missing the last three after re-aggravating the ankle issue.

All in all, in their last 16 games, the Pistons actually have a better record than the Hornets. They’ve won 2 of their last 4 games, including one against the Hornets, and were able to pick up a victory a couple of weeks ago against the Wizards as well. In that span, Detroit is 4-12, while Charlotte has put up a mark of 3-13.

The Hornets are hoping to have Ball back in the lineup soon, and they’ll need him if they want to be remotely competitive over the weekend. Their next three games include dates with the Thunder, Pacers, and Lakers, which will feature a back-to-back on Sunday and Monday night.

The Pistons will take on the Clippers on Friday night.