The Detroit Pistons started the season with a 2-1 record. Wins over the Hornets and Bulls. Their one loss was by one point to the Miami Heat, who made the NBA finals last year. Since the win on October 28th, the Pistons have gone 2-35, including a 28-game losing streak.
Many analysts heading into the season didn’t pick the Pistons to do great things. Depending on which betting site you looked at, their over-under was around 27 to 28 wins. Based on last year’s standings, that would’ve put them around the fifth-worst team. Factor in teams that usually end up tanking, and no one thought the Pistons would be THIS bad. Let’s take a look at how they got here.
Bad Decisions
In the 2020 NBA draft, many teams have been crucified for not drafting emerging star Tyrese Haliburton, who went 12th. The Pistons have drawn specific ire from their fanbase for taking French point guard Killian Hayes. Hayes has averaged 7.5 points in 24.5 minutes a game this season. I won’t mention Haliburton’s stats to spare the Pistons some pain.
Teams miss picks all the time, however, one bad pick in the NBA can set a team off in the wrong direction for years. The Pistons have double-downed on this bad pick by continuing to play Hayes and treat him as anything other than a role player. At best Hayes is a backup point guard, but the Pistons have tried to play him over younger and higher potential players.
The Pistons won the NBA draft lottery a year later and selected Cade Cunningham. This wasn’t a bad decision, yes they drafted another guard, but draft experts had Cunningham as the clear choice for number one. However, they neglected to surround Cunningham with shooters, and a big man he could run pass to and run pick and roll cost him his rookie year. Playing him and Hayes on the court, two non-elite shooters made it easier for the opposition.
Now, here is a controversial one. The pick of Purdue guard Jaden Ivey was the wrong selection at number five in the 2022 draft. Detroit’s front office celebrated being able to draft Ivey after the Sacramento Kings chose Keegan Murray. In today’s NBA, if you are a guard, you need to be able to shoot. Ivey shot 32% from three over his two years at Purdue. While Cade was coming off a season where his three-point percentage was at 31 percent.
Pairing two nonshooting guards has never led to a championship in modern NBA history. If your goal is to win the title, you need to build a team that fits together. Also, both Ivey and Cunningham had a usage rating above 28%. This immediately raises concerns about how each player would adapt to playing off-ball. You don’t want my turn-your-turn offense in today’s NBA.
What might be the worst of all of the Pistons’ decisions in the last couple of years was giving Monty Williams a six-year contract worth $78.5 million. Williams seemed like he needed a break after a burnout with the Phoenix Suns. However, no one can blame the man for taking that kind of payday. Williams isn’t the right coach for the Pistons at this stage of their rebuild.
Coaching
Speaking of Monty Williams, he hasn’t covered himself in glory throughout this season. His decision to play Killian Hayes over Jaden Ivey has been his most glaring decision. Ivey needs reps as a second-year player with potential over Hayes who doesn’t have the same potential. This isn’t like a young NFL quarterback where sitting on the bench could benefit you.
A 28-game losing streak shows a lack of motivation from the head coach. The team isn’t significantly less talented than other worse NBA teams. The Detroit Lions (NFL) in their first season under Dan Campbell showed fight in their games despite their roster limitations. The Pistons have yet to show fight.
Ausar Thompson was the fifth pick in this past year’s draft. He is an elite rookie defender unlike any other the league has seen. He is only averaging 23.6 minutes a game. Despite his bad offensive game, he can still make an impact, unlike any other Piston on the defensive end. He needs more minutes, and that’s on Monty Williams.
The Players
Even though this roster is a mishmash of young players and a couple of veterans, all of them aren’t ready to win more than their preseason projected win total. The players still take some share of the blame. The young players such as Ivey and Cunningham haven’t taken their expected leap in their second and third years respectfully.
Big men such as Isaiah Stewart and James Wiseman haven’t shown the progress expected by a lottery pick (Stewart) and the second pick in the draft (Wiseman). In Wiseman’s case, he was supposed to be revitalized after his career start with the Golden State Warriors didn’t go well. Many analysts, including me, thought that he’d be able to improve into more of a threat on offense and defense.
Reasons For Hope
Cade Cunningham is still a talented player in his own right. His ability to run pick-and-roll is essential to modern NBA basketball. His three-point shot should improve given how good he is from the free throw line percentage (87%). Cunningham is a proper building block and has the potential to improve at age 22.
As mentioned, Ausar Thompson is an elite defender and if he ever figures out how to be a passable offensive player, watch out. His ability to work on and improve his shot will be key to the Pistons’ success in future years. Jalen Duren is another young Piston who has also become a key cog in the rebuild. Duren just turned 20, and he projects as a modern rim-running center.
Duren is already averaging a double-double in his second year in the NBA. If the Pistons can trade some of the players who they don’t believe in, it will be key to the rebuild and help them stay aggressive in the draft. If the Pistons land the top pick in this year’s draft, they should target Alexandre Sarr. Sarr is a 7’1 Frenchman playing in New Zealand. He is averaging 19.3 points and 2.2 blocks per 36 minutes. He projects as a stretch big who could fit perfectly alongside Duran.
Featured Image: (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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