The Detroit Pistons are a mess of an NBA franchise. After finally snapping an NBA record 28-game losing streak in late December, they have resorted to their old ways once again. They now have a 1-32 record in their last 33 games. Further, they have been in a rebuild mode since their last playoff series victory all the way back in 2008. Put simply, they are no closer to contending than they were 10 years ago. They are a poverty franchise that has not won more than 23 games in a season since 2019 and have not had a winning record since 2016. No one wants to play for Detroit, and it is equally tough to find the right coach to lead them out of irrelevance.
In the offseason, the Pistons hired 2022 Coach of the Year Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns. While out West, Williams was quite successful. He inherited a young team with potential led by star guard Devin Booker and former #1 overall pick Deandre Ayton. After an average first year at the helm, Williams turned Pheonix into a juggernaut in the West, leading the Suns to the NBA Finals in 2021 before falling to the Milwaukee Bucks. Detroit was hoping the coach could replicate that success in Detroit. Unfortunately, Williams has followed in the footsteps of Dwayne Casey, another former Coach of the Year who was ruined by the Pistons in the last couple years.
In William’s first year leading Detroit, no one had playoff expectations. However, the ensuing reality of what would happen was not in anyone’s wildest imagination. They currently stand at 3-33. While the Pistons are not as good as the Suns team Williams inherited a few years ago, their current level of play is in no way acceptable for any franchise. They have been so bad this year that opposing teams have tried their hardest just to avoid being the team to break the losing streak. A recent game against the Boston Celtics had the feel of Game 7 of the NBA Finals due to the player’s intensity. Much of the blame for Detroit’s failings can be placed on General Manager Troy Weaver who, in over 3 years constructing the team’s roster, has cobbled together a very poor assortment of talent.
Apart from Cade Cunningham, the #1 overall selection in the 2021 draft, no one else on the team looks to be a building block. Arguably the team’s second-best player is veteran Bojan Bogdanovic who has at least given the team a spark since his return from injury. However, the forward is guaranteed $20 million for just this season which is more than he is worth being a 34-year-old journeyman. Jaden Ivey, the team’s top choice in the 2022 draft, has regressed since his rookie year while other young players like Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson simply are not doing enough. Let’s not even bring up Killian Hayes, another first round pick who has been arguably the worst player in the NBA for the last several years.
In all, the future building blocks are hard to find in the midst of this dreadful 2023-24 campaign. There have even been reports that Cunningham might want out of Detroit, and who could blame him? As a rebuilding team that is supposed to have contributions from multiple young players as they develop, Cunningham is asked to do way too much. He is putting the team on his back on a nightly basis just to keep the games close. The Pistons are a sorry franchise and might have to start over once again.
