The Washington Wizards rough season is quickly approaching an important stretch.
Washington currently sits at the bottom of the NBA standings with a 16-52 record, just two games behind the Indiana Pacers for the worst record in the league.
Obviously, it's never a great situation for teams to be in competing for having the worse record in the league, but when it gets to this point, ensuring a top draft pick should be top priority.
If the Wizards hope to cap their rebuilding process off by landing a top prospect to the mix this offseason before hopefully returning to contention with a healthy duo of Trae Young and Anthony Davis, every game over the next couple weeks will have major implications to the team's draft order.
On Thursday though, Washington finds themselves in arguably their first trap game of the regular season and if they hope to keep their offseason dreams alive, they have to avoid falling into this trap.
Wizards have to avoid knocking off a shorthanded Pistons' team
Washington finds themselves in position to be the first team to take on the Detroit Pistons in their first game following the disastrous Cade Cunningham injury news Detroit was dealt.
Cunningham, who played in just five minutes against the Wizards on Tuesday, has been sidelined indefinitely after being diagnosed with a collapsed lung.
For Detroit, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff will be tasked with finding a way to navigate a major move that could derail their season as a whole.
The Pistons will be plagued with attempting to find a winning formula without their MVP candidate on their court, and after their recent rough stretch, it could open a door for the Wizards to get back in the win column.
And while rooting for your favorite team to lose may be an odd position for fans to be in, all signs point to this being a door Washington has to refrain from walking into.
Washington has no reason to win
The result of this matchup carries heavy weight for both teams involved.
Either Washington gains ground on the Pacers at the bottom of the NBA standings with a loss, or they put themselves one step behind in their ongoing tank.
As for Detroit, the Pistons will either drop a game that they desperately need to win to fend off the Boston Celtics for the No. 1 seed, or they'll knock off a team they should beat to keep their lead at the top of the East comfortable.
Regardless, there's no reason that the Wizards should think about winning this game, and Detroit has every reason to win this game.