Pistons Make a Huge Comeback, Now a Force to Reckon With in the NBA!

Hello, this is Dan Gartland. It’s quite surprising to see just how long the Pistons have been underperforming, nearly two decades in fact.

In today’s SI:AM: 

Major gambling investigation
Pistons on a winning streak!?
Top contenders for Women’s POY

The Pistons’ Resurgence

Being a fan of the Detroit Pistons has been a tough road recently, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel now.

The Pistons last appeared in the playoffs in 2019 and haven’t clinched a postseason series since 2008. Since that time, they’ve recorded the most losses in the NBA. Over the last 17 seasons, Detroit has amassed more losses than any other NBA team, with a record of 498–830 since the 2008–09 season, which is 16 losses more than the Sacramento Kings, the next closest team. Their recent performance has been particularly poor, averaging just 18.8 wins per season over the last five years, the lowest in the league during this period.

Despite the bleak past two decades, the Pistons are showing signs of improvement. Their most recent 106–97 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers marked their seventh consecutive win, the longest streak since the 2014-15 season. This isn’t just a lucky streak; with this victory, the Pistons’ record improved to 32–26, positioning them sixth in the Eastern Conference. This season marks their first respectable performance in many years.

“We are still evolving into the team we aspire to be,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff stated after Monday’s victory. “Each game presents a new challenge that helps us refine our skills, and playing against the top teams provides a clear indication of our current standing, areas for improvement, and our strengths.

“These are fantastic opportunities for us to measure ourselves against the best, push our limits, learn, and hopefully improve with each game,” he added.

SEVEN IN A ROW pic.twitter.com/BVMagPrPXh

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) February 25, 2025

How did the Pistons manage to turn things around? Many seasons of poor performance afforded them several high draft picks, and they largely made wise choices. Although selecting Killian Hayes with the No. 7 pick in the 2020 draft turned out to be a misstep (he averaged 8.1 points per game over four seasons before being waived last year), Detroit made successful picks otherwise. The standout selection was Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 pick in 2021. Already showing he’s the top player of his draft class, Cunningham was rewarded with a five-year, $224 million max contract extension in July. Jaden Ivey (picked No. 5 in 2022), Ausar Thompson (No. 5 in 2023), Marcus Sasser (No. 25 in 2023), and Ron Holland (No. 5 in 2024) have all proven to be valuable players early in their careers.

Cunningham, now an All-Star for the first time, is a key factor in the Pistons’ current success, delivering career highs of 25.8 points, 9.5 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game. He ranks 10th in the NBA for scoring and third for assists per game this season. His significant progress this season is supported by an improved team, put together by new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon. The team has strengthened their core of high draft picks with young talents acquired through trades (like Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren) and experienced players such as Tim Hardaway Jr., Tobias Harris, and Malik Beasley. This blend has resulted in the strongest Pistons roster in years, manifesting in substantial on-court success. Their latest victory over the Clippers brought their season total to 32 wins, surpassing their combined total from the previous two seasons (31).

The clear division in the Eastern Conference standings means that despite being just six games above .500, the Pistons are starting to pull away from the cluster of average teams vying for play-in tournament spots. Currently, the Orlando Magic top the play-in list, sitting in seventh with a 29–30 record, trailing Detroit by 3.5 games. Last year, the Pistons would have been thrilled just to be in the play-in discussion, but now they’re poised to secure a direct spot in the first round of the playoffs. It’s not even out of the realm of possibility for them to secure home-court advantage in that series, as they’re only one game behind the fourth-placed Milwaukee Bucks.

For Detroit basketball fans who have endured many challenging years, this season’s turnaround has been a delightful surprise. While they’re not yet contenders for the Eastern Conference title, every great comeback has to start somewhere.

Highlights from Sports Illustrated

• Michael Rosenberg and Pat Forde reveal an explosive story on the federal probe into a gambling ring implicated in widespread manipulation of scores in college and professional basketball.

• Forde also discusses the uncomfortable beginnings of this year’s coaching changes in men’s basketball.

• Emma Baccellieri examines the credentials of the leading candidates for this year’s top women’s basketball player award.

• If you’re following spring training baseball, check out the likely future of how balls and strikes will be called, as Jimmy Traina advocates for the swift implementation of the ABS challenge system.

• Ronnie Stanley, one of the top free agents this offseason, has potential new teams identified by Matt Verderame.

• For the first time in over four years, the Kansas men’s basketball team is unranked in the AP poll.

• Larry Dolan, the long-time owner of the Guardians, has passed away.

Top five highlights…

…from last night:

5. Jorge Soler’s impressive home run. 
4. Brice Williams’s quick thinking resulting in a steal after a missed three-pointer.  
3. Russell Westbrook’s dynamic defensive move. 
2. Quinton Byfield’s skillful backhand assist.
1. The Timberwolves’ dramatic comeback, overturning a 25-point deficit in the second half to defeat the Thunder in overtime.