I know that most of Detroit have their sights firmly on the Lions and some are still basking in the success of the Tigers but let’s not forget about the Pistons. I must admit they have been the literal doormat of the NBA but are things changing? I know I have pumped the tires of the Pistons in the past only to have it thrown back in my face but is this year different?
First things first, I am not a Pistons fan by any means. My NBA alliance lies with players nowadays rather than teams, and I will admit that I don’t watch nearly as many games as I used to but I still dabble here and there. But I think we can agree that the Pistons have been a joke here lately. You can also argue that the year the Pistons finally get the number one overall pick they get kinda shafted because there wasn’t a true stand out number one pick. Yes, they picked Cunningham, and in that draft he was the head and shoulders number one pick but when you consider they had a chance to draft Wembi but things didn’t pan out in the lottery. But that being said, they have some good pieces. As I mentioned they have Cunningham and later drafted Ivey out of Purdue, so they have a good young nucleus to build around.
They won 17 games last season. 17. They were in a bad place last season. The season started with the hiring of a new, high-priced coach and that was about the extent of the highlights. This “highlight” actually became a low light very soon because Pistons fans were asking for his firing very early in the season. To be honest, this was a season to forget in Detroit. Not only did the team stink, the coach was overpaid and he stunk too. Add to that they yet again did not get the number one overall pick, which in this draft wasn’t a huge advantage but still. One more kick to the shins. So where does this leave the Pistons in 2024?
Well honestly so far, they don’t stink! Are they very good? Not yet. But they are leaps and bounds ahead of last year. They have 9 wins so far in this young season. Yes, they are 9-13 but considering the laughingstock they were last year, I consider this a vast improvement. They hired a whole new coaching staff and things have looked far better. For the Cunningham haters, he has played very well. He needs to be able to stay on the court, but his numbers have been legit. This young core along with some veteran signings in the offseason has led to some early successes. While I am not saying that this squad can compete with the top of the Eastern Conference, I do think a playoff appearance isn’t out of the question. They are 2.5 games back of the 4th seed New York Knicks and they have been a roller coaster so far this season.
All in all, the city of Detroit has a lot to be proud of. The Lions are the best team in the NFL, the Tigers are a young and up and coming team, the Pistons are showing signs of improvement and the Red Wings…well we won’t talk about them quite yet.
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