Pistons Turnaround is Happening Faster Than Anyone Expected

These are not your dad’s Detroit Pistons. Heck, they’re not even your neighbor’s Detroit Pistons. The 2024-25 team doesn’t resemble the team that last season became a laughingstock. The chuckles have turned to cheers, as the Pistons are on the precipice of a .500 record.

That’s right, the Pistons could reach the .500 mark in January of an NBA season. The last time the team was at the break-even mark this last was almost six years ago. That’s also coincidentally the last season the Pistons qualified for the postseason. In fact, Detroit hasn’t had a .500 record past the first week of the season since 2018-19. That’s way back when Dwane Casey was roaming the sidelines, and Andre Drummond was in a Detroit jersey. Blake Griffin was an All-Star that season. Remember him?

Griffin and Drummond are memories now

Relics of an earlier period when this franchise was patching  together the old and the new. In contrast, the current Pistons are led by a fourth-year superstar who is somehow still only 23 years of age. Add in a few highly-motivated, high percentage veterans named Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tobias Harris, and the Pistons are a handful for opponents.

What’s the secret to Detroit’s quick turnaround from a disastrous 2023-24 season when they lost a record-tying 28 consecutive games to the edge of a playoff spot in one year? It’s a decision made by the coaching staff to be something different.

The Pistons basically start three guards and a swingman

Cunningham, Hardaway, long-range threat Jaden Ivey, and Harris. Their primary answer off the bench is an unrepentant shooter with his sixth team, the always-ready-to-hoist-it Malik Beasley, who is above 40% on triple tries.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff is doing something novel: he’s listening to other people. The Bickerstaff Era has started with an embrace of many schemes from his competent assistant staff. That group includes Steve Scalzi and Luke Walton, who have infused the Pistons with new ideas about an offensive approach and defensive mentality. It’s almost as if DEEETROIT BASKETBALL is back in the Motor City.

Much of the success is a credit to first-year President of Basketball Ops, Trajan Langdon. Only weeks into his job, Langdon had the courage to gut his roster, trading for Hardaway, signing Beasley and Harris as free agents. He’s also stockpiled future draft picks, and his 2024 first round NBA draft selection, Ron Holland, is developing nicely as a 19-year old in The Association.

This week, the Pistons will have an opportunity to reach the .500 mark when they face the Trailblazers. If they do, it probably won’t draw much attention across the league. But, the Pistons' competitiveness this season is definitely cause for celebration.