Turning the Corner: How the Detroit Pistons’ New Coach and Management Aim to Revive the Franchise

With so much focus on NFL and College Football, it can be easy for sports fanatics to forget about the start of the NBA season. Some Detroit Pistons fans may never want to think about the NBA again. In the 2023-2024 season, the Pistons finished 14-68, landing them as a top 10 worst team ever. They struggled to eclipse ten wins and endured the worst losing streak of all time- 28 straight losses. In short, the 2023-2024 season was one to forget for the Pistons, but there is some optimism moving forward.
Following the disastrous season, the Pistons fired veteran Head Coach Monty Williams. However, coach Williams shouldn’t be too upset, as he will earn north of $60 million to be a retired coach. While stomaching this cost couldn’t have been easy for Pistons owner Tom Gores, it’s reassuring that he understood the need for change and took action. With the fire of Coach Williams came recently fired Cavaliers Coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Coach Bickerstaff was able to turn around the Cavalier’s young roster in just a few years, giving hope to Detroit fans that he can do the same with the Pistons youthful squad. With the coaching change came a change in the president of basketball operations. Gores hired former Pelicans General Manager Trajan Langdon to fulfill these duties. Langdon excelled in New Orleans with his draft selections and sneaky trades. Between the acquisition of Brandom Ingram and the brilliant draft choices of Herb Jones and Trey Murphy, Detroit hopes Langdon can bring players to the team and find talent down the board with the hire.
With the season fully underway, it’s fair to say Pistons fans are pleased with the team’s growth through the first few weeks. With a record of 3-5, fans are content with where the squad sits in the Eastern Conference after a gutsy win over the Lebron James-led Lakers. The 2021 1st overall pick, Cade Cunningham, has excelled in beginning the season, averaging 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists per game, all while shooting with career-high efficiency. This success is precisely the type of development the Pistons sought to see with the hiring of J.B. Bickerstaff. Cade’s backcourt partner, Jaden Ivey, has also seen tremendous success in the season’s first few weeks. This comes as a sigh of relief for fans and team executives after Ivey struggled to see consistent success in the early years of his career.
As the season progresses, the Pistons have one goal: progression. The squad expects not to make the playoffs or win the championship but to see growth in every game out of the youngsters. In order to see this growth, fans should not be surprised to see a mid-season trade of a veteran like Tobias Harris or Tim Hardaway Jr. These veterans help provide leadership in the locker room and hopefully can get the team back on track, but they are certainly not long term options. Langdon understands this, though, and will do whatever he feels is best for the team’s future. A mid-season trade could potentially free up playing time for younger players, while also adding draft capital to build for the future.
After a disastrous 2023-2024 season, the new Look Pistons wish to bring hope back to the city of Detroit and build a team that can see sustained long-term success. With key pieces in place like Cunningham, Duren, Ivey, etc, the Pistons have already completed the most challenging part of building a team: acquiring talent. Now, all that is left is properly developing the talent and turning the talent into a cohesive unit. Based on the first few games, it’s fair to say Coach Bickerstaff is the man to take on this challenge.