The Pistons are winning again after years of languishing in the standings with only one winning season since 2009-10.
Detroit basketball has been stuck in a constant cycle of rebuilding for years. There has been a consistent flow of high draft picks that do not turn out, coaching changes that do not quite fit, and continuous free-agent acquisitions that cannot seem to find their groove. But now, with young superstar Cade Cunningham and first-year head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, momentum has shifted.
Entering the 2024-25 season, ESPN picked Detroit to finish 27th in the league and gave them a 2.1% chance to make the playoffs. Fast-forward a couple of months, and Detroit is sitting at the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Not only has Detroit exceeded everybody’s expectations, but they have proven that with a little more experience, they can become contenders. So, how did we get here?
Flashback to the 2021 NBA draft when the Pistons won the lottery and were given the first overall pick. Detroit used the pick on Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham, who turned the OSU Cowboys into a sneaky good team that earned a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Cunningham entered the league and immediately proved he was Detroit’s franchise star.
Now that the Pistons had their star, it was time to build around him. The rebuild continued the following year when Detroit picked up two more key players, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren. Ivey, a former Purdue Boilermaker, averages a career-high 17.6 points per game and perfectly adds to Cunningham’s game. Duren, the former Memphis Tiger, has emerged as the starting center for the new and improved Pistons, averaging a double-double while improving every game.
But if the Pistons have had all this talent since 2022, why are they just now putting it together? The answer is simple: it was the coaching staff and veteran experience. Under first-year head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, the Pistons have improved their point-per-game totals from 109.9 to 114.4, which might not seem like that much, but a 5-point swing in only one year is not something to sleep on. Bickerstaff’s new offensive philosophy is showing early signs of immense improvement.
Detroit made key acquisitions right before the 24-25 season. To have a veteran presence in the locker room, Detroit signed veterans Malik Beasley and Tobias Harris. Malik Beasley is having a career resurgence in Detroit after bouncing around the league for a couple of years. Tobias Harris is in his 13th NBA season, and his age is beginning to show. He is no longer the primary scoring option he once was; instead, he has embraced a role as a distributor and complementary player on offense.
If the Pistons can keep their winning record, they will secure their first season above .500 since the 2015-16 season when Reggie Jackson was the team’s leading scorer. This shows how vital a strong coaching staff and competent front office are to a successful basketball team.
