Kids these days may be unfamiliar with the Detroit Pistons’ better days. Their last NBA championship was two decades ago and their two titles before that came at a time when the Soviet Union was still in existence (and now it’s just a place kids read about or discover while playing Call of Duty). 

The last two decades saw some postseason appearances and one NBA Finals appearance for the Pistons, but other than that, it’s been loss after loss after loss. Getting traded to Detroit was not necessarily a death sentence, but it certainly wasn’t the greener pastures players wear looking for. 

But maybe, things will turn out differently for the Pistons this season. 

It took Detroit a little more than two months before they won their third game in the 2023-2024 regular season, but this season, they only needed a week and a half to achieve that same feat. 

The Los Angeles Lakers were a good test for the Pistons, who earned victories over the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers and the upstart Brooklyn Nets. Anthony Davis is playing MVP basketball, while LeBron James has slowly gotten back to playing solid basketball as he approaches 40. Detroit seemed to have no problems with that. 

The Lakers held the lead for parts of the game’s opening three minutes, but it was all Pistons from there. Cade Cunningham made the big plays and came away with his third career triple-double (17 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists). Jaden Ivey (team-high 26 points) could not be contained and went on a personal 5-0 run that effectively ended Los Angeles’ comeback bid. Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren played through foul trouble against a team that has the second-highest drawn fouls per game (24.1). 

The Pistons are frankly nowhere near championship contention, but a shot at the Play-In Tournament feels more feasible given the current state of the roster. If Cunningham can stay healthy and the likes of Ivey, Tim Hardaway Jr., Tobias Harris, and Malik Beasley can consistently contribute, then they can firmly entrench themselves in the Play-In. 

If Detroit builds on this, then the long-term outlook also looks good. The development of rookie Ron Holland II and sophomore Marcus Sasser will be critical to adding depth to the roster. Playoff teams tend to be defined by their depth and the former’s incremental contributions and the latter’s rookie year should give the Pistons some hope. Hardaway Jr. and Beasley will also be free agents after this season so both Holland II and Sasser could be bound for bigger roles if Hardaway Jr. and Beasely move on. 

The Detroit Pistons can make a play for the future while also winning games now. They’ve surpassed their win total this time last year and are capable of eclipsing 14 wins in 2024-2025. The Pistons will need some good fortune to come their way, but their recent efforts have proven that they’re ready to change the narrative in Detroit.