The suddenly emerging Detroit Pistons must avoid the offseason mistake that will doom them.
After one of the best seasons in recent team history, the Detroit Pistons are riding high into the offseason. Finding a way to keep their depth together, after such a strong season, could prove to be a difficult task heading into the summer. However, if the young Pistons fail to do so, it could end up being a huge mistake as they look to take another step forward next year.
The 2023-24 NBA season was not exactly something to be excited about for the Pistons and their beleaguered fan base. The team finished out a horrible year with a record of 14-68. That was the worst record in the Eastern Conference that season. That was the worst record in the entire league that season.
Somehow, the Pistons' 2023-24 record was worse than any team in the 2022-23 and 2024-25 regular seasons. Keep in mind that the worst team in the 2022-23 season was also the Pistons. Even the Utah Jazz, 2024-25's worst team with an abysmal record of 17-65, still managed to do better than the 2023-24 Pistons. It was a low point for a franchise that has won several championships and been home to a number of legendary players.
What a difference a year makes.
Literally one season later, the Pistons finished the 2024-25 season with a 44-38 record, taking the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and facing the New York Knicks in round one of the playoffs. While there's obviously a conversation to be had about what changed, the bigger conversation is about what needs to change going forward to make them an even bigger contender. And that's nothing.
The potential of the Detroit Pistons
It's been there for a while. Pieces were moving into place both on the court and in the front office to turn the Pistons back into contenders for years. It was just hard to see. After making the Eastern Conference finals six times from 2003-08, the Pistons have been on an extended slump bad enough that one might think Babe Ruth cursed them for some reason. All rebuilding efforts never seemed to take shape, leaving Detroit at the bottom of the pack.
The 2021 NBA Draft saw the Pistons pick Cade Cunningham as the overall number one pick. It was a good choice for the franchise. This was the beginning of another rebuild that was going to lead to bigger and better things. Instead, the franchise ended up with a disastrous 2023-24 season that featured a record-setting 28-game losing streak.
But during those rough seasons after drafting Cade, the franchise was subtly putting a team together that would become a playoff contender. That included bringing players like in Malik Beasley, Marcus Sasser, Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., Ausar Thompson, and Dennis Schroder to build something around Cade.
On top of that, there were some big and highly necessary front office changes. Trajan Langdon took over as the President of Basketball Operations after the 2023-24 season. This was followed by the quick exits of the General Manager and Head Coach. The summer of 2024 saw J.B. Bickerstaff become the new Head Coach, possibly the smartest decision the franchise has made in recent years. The results are undeniable.
That Detroit mentality
Simply put, the Pistons didn't lack talent. There were good players, but the team was still missing pieces as well as leadership from the coaching staff and front office. All of that changed rapidly in the last off-season. Even more important, the mentality changed. This is a Detroit Pistons team that now plays with strength, confidence, and pride, qualities the franchise hasn't had in years. There were moments in 2024-25 that it almost felt like watching the Bad Boy Pistons play.
That's why the best thing the Pistons could do is run it back. Don't change the front office. Don't change the coaching staff. Don't change the roster. This is a team that got a taste of success this year, and it's a guarantee they want more. The Pistons have the potential to be the most dangerous team in the league over the next couple of years. Why? They are hungry. And they know they have what it takes to make a deep playoff run in place right now.
Several of these players are recent additions to the squad, more than a few of them joining in 2024. Some of them are still new to the league and need time to mature their game. It's not hard to imagine what this team could look like a few years down the road once they have time to further grow and gel. Every other team in the league should be taking notice.
For the first time in 2024-25, Cade Cunningham was the All-Star player everyone knew he could be. His team followed his lead under Bickerstaff's guidance. If the front office doesn't mess with success, this is a team that has what it takes to go all the way back to the Eastern Conference Finals in the next year or two. Pity any team that underestimates this version of the Pistons going forward because they are coming for it all.