The Detroit Pistons had a catastrophic 2023-24 season; a low point words can scarcely capture.
Their 14-68 record not only signaled rock-bottom for the franchise, eclipsing the 1979-80 team’s 16-66 mark, but also gave them the league’s worst record for the second straight year.
A brutal 0-15 November sparked their free fall, followed by an NBA-record 28-game losing streak, the longest single-season skid in the history of the sport. No Play-In Tournament appearance. No playoff berth, obviously. And when their season came to a merciful end, they were lottery bound once again.
That’s what makes the Pistons’ turnaround in 2024-25 so remarkable. The franchise parted ways with head coach Monty Williams, later hiring J.B. Bickerstaff to instill a new identity. Trajan Langdon, appointed President of Basketball Operations in May 2024, reshaped the roster by adding seasoned veterans in Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley to complement the young core of Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey and Isaiah Stewart.
Cunningham emerged as a bona fide All-Star, averaging 25.9 points, 9.1 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game, while Thompson, Ivey and Duren each made significant strides in their development, in their own right.
Bickerstaff’s system, emphasizing defense and fast-paced offense, finally unlocked the team’s potential. The organizational culture shifted from despair to determination seemingly overnight. Against all odds, the Pistons surged to a 44-38 record, securing the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference and transforming from league laughingstock to playoff contenders.
And with this turnaround, the Pistons etched their name in NBA history as the only team to triple their win total from one full 82-game season to the next. Even sweeter, their first playoff series since 2019 comes against a Knicks team they went 3-1 against during the regular season.
“Our guys are excited,” Bickerstaff said. “Obviously from where we’ve [come from], how this season has played out for us. The guys have a ton of appreciation and respect for what they’ve done, and they understand this moment, how big it is for us and our growth and development, the challenges that are going to be presented to us. But our guys are up for it, and that’s the best part about it.”
The Knicks, led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, enter the 2024-25 postseason coming off back-to-back playoff appearances. Meanwhile, Harris, Hardaway, Beasley, Dennis Schröder and Paul Reed are the only current Pistons with playoff experience. Among those names, Harris and Hardaway are the only regular starters.
Of those names, Harris and Hardaway are the only consistent starters in the Pistons’ lineup.
“Experience comes from how quickly you learn, right?” Bickerstaff said. “So, being in the moment, people will tell you that experience takes a year, it takes six months, it takes a series. But we don’t believe that. Experience happens in the moment. And then how quickly can you learn from that experience and make the change?”
That means Cunningham and his younger teammates will be forced to adapt quickly in these playoffs. Their regular-season success under Bickerstaff suggests they can rise to the challenge, and Bickerstaff remains confident the postseason will be no exception.
“We’re not intimidated by anybody. We’re not intimidated by any moment, ever,” Bickerstaff said. “That’s just not the way our guys are built… Our guys are good enough individually. They’re good enough collectively. They’re good enough. We just have to go out and play well. If we go out and play well, we give ourselves a chance.”
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