To no one’s surprise, the Pistons are once again trash this season. Why? Because this team just managed to make a huge feat in the NBA – getting absolutely zero wins in November. But how bad really are the 2023-2024 Detroit Pistons?
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly in Motor City
The Detroit Pistons were an exceptional championship team in the ‘80s, back when they had a team filled with Hall-of-Famers (Dennis Rodman, Joe Dumars, and Isiah Thomas). They fell for quite some time in the ‘90s but bounced back after drafting Grant Hill in 1994. Fast forward 10 years later, and the Pistons were once again named NBA champions after beating the Kobe-Shaq duo in Los Angeles in 2004.
Sadly, after that, they weren’t able to repeat and the franchise went downhill shortly after breaking their championship squad (Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace). They did try rebuilding many times, but it failed miserably. Since the new millennium, Detroit has never drafted a solid cornerstone or a franchise player that would bring them the success they have missed for many decades.
Here’s a list of the Detroit Pistons top 10 picks since 2000:
- Ausar Thompson (5th, 2023)
- Jaden Ivey (5th, 2022)
- Cade Cunningham (1st, 2021)
- Killian Hayes (7th, 2020)
- Stanley Johnson (8th, 2015)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (8th, 2013)
- Andre Drummond (9th, 2012)
- Brandon Knight (8th, 2011)
- Greg Monroe (7th, 2010)
- Darko Millicic (2nd, 2003)
- Rodney White (9th, 2001)
Just imagine taking Darko Millicic over Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in 2003. That was a major fumble by the Pistons, although they won the championship the year after. Aside from their three latest lottery picks (Thompson, Ivey, and Cunningham), all of their past top picks did not turn out to be what they were expected to be.
Although Andre Drummond became an All-Star center, he really did not bring anything to Detroit. Meanwhile, there were some players they drafted that blossomed after leaving Motor City. The 39th pick in 2012, Khris Middleton, whom the Pistons traded on draft night, became an All-Star in Milwaukee while second-rounders like Bruce Brown and Spencer Dinwiddie became better basketball players after being traded.
The Detroit Pistons have now lost 17 games in a row.
☠️☠️☠️ pic.twitter.com/THe6WwZAf8
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) December 3, 2023
Unfortunately for them, they’re once again having a horrendous season. They’ve lost 17 straight games already and God only knows when they can get a win again.
Can the Detroit Pistons bounce back in the future?
Talent-wise, the Pistons are actually pretty good. They’ve got young players with huge upside and they are just developing. Cade Cunningham is having his best year so far, while Ausar Thompson is solidifying himself as one of the best defenders in the league. On the other hand, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren can be reliable scorers when it matters.
Unfortunately, their roster looks equally bad as it looks good. They took James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley III, two former top picks who turned out to be NBA busts (somehow) and would probably be out of the NBA soon if they continue to underperform. The Killian Hayes project has proven to be an absolute disaster. They may have a solid head coach in Monty Williams, but the former Phoenix Suns coach hasn’t figured things out with this young team yet. Moreover, the Pistons have an offensive rating of 109.1 (4th worst in NBA).
Ausar Thompson is so athletic man
— Pistons Talk (@Pistons__Talk) November 28, 2023
Overall, it’s either make or break for the Detroit Pistons. They’re the worst team in the league so far in terms of record and offensive firepower. To add, they also don’t have the best asset to build around Cade Cunningham, if that’s the route they choose to go.
Also, it won’t be a guarantee that they’re getting the first pick in the 2024 draft. They may, however, hope to get a steal in the draft just like Jaime Jarquez Jr. or Dereck Lively II. This all means that it’s not going to look good for Pistons fans in the next couple of years. The only thing they can hope for is for Cunningham, Ivey, or Thompson to develop into perennial superstars. But, as of now, the city of Detroit must settle with continuously losing games and missing the playoffs.
The Detroit Pistons can follow in the footsteps of the Houston Rockets
This season, the Houston Rockets are surprisingly playing better than they did last year. They also look more oriented and are actually playing great basketball. But, how did they do that?
There are some factors in that like:
- Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green playing exceptionally this season
- Ime Udoka’s great coaching
- Signing good veterans like Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet to help their young core
The Rockets were trash after James Harden left. But, after a few years of waiting, they’re probably getting at the final stage of the rebuild and may have found the guy to build around in Alperen Sengun.
