The Detroit Pistons have been in the NBA spotlight for much of this season—but for all the wrong reasons.
The team took the basketball world by surprise, as they lost 28 straight games and went without a win for over two months. Their losing streak marks the embarrassing record of the longest of its kind in a single NBA season.
The Pistons snapped their losing streak on December 30, with a tight 129-127 win over the Toronto Raptors at Little Caesars Arena.
Although their record is far from impressive, the Pistons have kept some games interesting along the way, with close losses to the Bucks, Nuggets, and Pacers. There are no moral victories though, as the Pistons have dug themselves into a very deep hole this year.
After their 25th straight loss, Pistons star point guard Cade Cunningham spoke to the press telling them “We’re not 2-26 bad — no way are we that bad.”
Cunningham was the team’s first overall pick in 2021, and despite the losses, has been playing extremely well.
So, what has gone wrong with the Detroit Pistons?
The Detroit Pistons haven’t had a winning season since 2016, and have been in and out of rebuilding phases since.
The problem with the Pistons is they have yet to commit to a consistent rebuild, as there has been a lot of turmoil throughout the organization. The Pistons have had a lack of leadership during their rebuild and have the players and staff fully commit.
Since 2015, the three head coaches of the Pistons have all had losing records. The constant turmoil the Pistons franchise hinders progress and stalling efforts to propel the team in the right direction.
A major decision that could have propelled the Pistons to rebuild but they chose differently was last season, the Pistons received an offer of two first-round picks for aging starter Bojan Bogdanovic.
Bogdanovic, 34, is an aging player who doesn’t have much of a future in Detroit, so the fact that the franchise didn’t leap on the opportunity to trade him is very confusing from an outsider’s perspective.
Additionally, the Pistons have made some very poor draft choices in the last few years. Draft picks such as Killian Hayes, Sekou Doumbouya, Stanley Johnson, Henry Ellenson, and JT Thor have not amounted to much for the Pistons franchise at all. The draft picks they have hit on such as Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey have garnered little appreciation rom their supporters.
The Pistons also signed former Phoenix Suns Head Coach Monty Williams to a six-year, $78.5 million dollar deal. This contract ended up being the largest contract for a head coach in NBA history. So far this contract has looked like a massive overpay, as Williams hasn’t helped the team as they hoped as they currently have a 8-46 record, the worst in the NBA at the All-Star Break.
The Pistons have some bright young talent on their team, but continue to stand at the bottom of the NBA year after year. The lack of consistent leadership on and off the court has gotten the team to where it is right now.
The Pistons have a long way to go before being back at the top of the NBA.
