Since the start of the 2009-10 season, the Detroit Pistons have made the playoffs only two times. In fact, they have not won a playoff series since 2008, a year in which they advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the sixth consecutive year with Chauncey Billups as their leader.
Over the last four seasons, the Pistons have won a total of 80 games. There are a total of 82 games in a regular NBA season. This organization's lack of overall success has led to a lot of disappointment, but at the same time, hope still exists amongst everyone connected to the franchise, including their fans. While it will take time, Detroit is on the correct path to success right now and everything for them begins with their young core.
Despite missing the playoffs in four straight seasons and finishing with a sub .500 record numerous times over the last decade, the good news for the Pistons is that they have started to accumulate some very talented top-tier picks. Since general manager Troy Weaver took over the front office in 2020, this team has added Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren, Killian Hayes, and now Ausar Thompson via the NBA Draft. It's also worth mentioning that they added Marcus Sasser in this year's draft as well.
The entire core of this organization has been drafted, and the best part is that they are all still on their their initial rookie deals. Cap space is not a long-term problem for this franchise, neither is roster stability given the potential that exists within all of their recent draftees.
Cunningham is “the guy” for the Pistons right now and for the foreseeable future. They selected him first overall in 2021 and he immediately proved to be an all-around, triple-double-like threat with the ball in his hands. Big things were in store for him heading into Year 2, but then Cunningham was forced to end his season after just 12 games due to a shin injury that required surgery. Ahead of training camp, the team claims he is 100 percent ready to go and the spotlight is now on the 21-year-old to lead his team back to relevance.
Ivey, Stewart and Duren are all going to be holding key roles once again as they continue to develop with Thompson having a chance to be the guy to really elevate this team to the next level. Much like how Cunningham can do a little bit of everything, Thompson is truly a positionless player that can fill any role assigned to him. At Las Vegas Summer League just a couple of month ago, he proved to be a very strong defender with truly no weaknesses in his game.
Everyone within the Pistons organization is excited to get Thompson on the court and he has a chance to start in the team's very first game of the season.
“He has some gifts that you can not teach,” Pistons Summer League coach Jarrett Jack told ClutchPoints this offseason. “He has some defensive instincts that I very rarely see. But [we want him to learn] just when to use them. Sometimes, when you’re so, so good at something, which he is, you can go in that bag too much. When you’re playing against the higher level guys that he’s gonna see in the fall, that might get you in trouble sometimes.”
Every rookie faces some sort of struggle entering the league and Thompson will have some flaws. However, he makes up for his mistakes in ways other players can't, which is why he has faith in his own abilities with the season right around the corner.
Aside from Cunningham returning, this young core getting another offseason under their belts, and Thompson preparing for his NBA debut, Detroit also has a new head coach that is ready to help this franchise rise from rock bottom in the East.
Monty Williams, who spent the last four seasons pulling the Phoenix Suns out from the bottom of the Western Conference standings, has now taken over the reins on the Pistons' sideline. Williams is the perfect mentor for this young group, especially given all the challenges he has faced in life. This young group is going to learn discipline, they are going to learn accountability, and they will most definitely have a new energy to them heading into the 2023-24 season.
Offseason additions and departures
Additions: G/F Ausar Thompson (draft), G Monte Morris (trade – WAS), G/F Joe Harris (trade – BKN), G Marcus Sasser (draft)
Departures: G/F Hamidou Diallo (free agency), G Rodney McGruder (free agency), G Cory Joseph (free agency – GSW), G R.J. Hampton (free agency)
After a lot of discussion surrounded who the Pistons would take with the No. 5 overall pick in this year's draft, it was clear that Ausar Thompson was the guy they fell in love with very early on in the pre-draft process. As already mentioned, Thompson can do a little bit of everything with his best quality being the fact that Detroit can utilize him in many different ways.
Due to his passing and playmaking abilities, Thompson can possibly be a lead guard for his team with players from the second unit. Plus, he's crafty enough to be his own playmaker that can get to the rim against smaller defenders.
As far as his defense goes, the Pistons are getting one of the best defensive rookies who will be able to make an impact from his very first game. Not many players possess the length and instincts on that end of the court that Thompson does, which is why Detroit should be very pleased with this selection.
Although all the hype for the Pistons from this offseason surrounds Thompson, they ended up grabbing another really good young player near the end of the first-round. Marcus Sasser had proven to be one of the best scoring guards in the country over the last two years at Houston and he entered the NBA Draft as an experienced, older prospect. This did not matter to Detroit, especially since he fills another obvious need in their backcourt.
Killian Hayes has been a question mark for this organization and his unreliable play in the backcourt resulted in the front office finding more depth behind Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. Sasser can play right away and his experiences of going on deep tournament runs in college sets him up to be a reliable backup right away.
Thompson and Sasser are the two “younglings” who are set to join one of the youngest teams in the NBA, but the Pistons did also add some veteran voices to their locker room this offseason. Sharpshooter Joe Harris was traded from the Brooklyn Nets, along with two future second-round picks, in exchange for nothing more than cash. Monte Morris was another addition, as he came over from the Washington Wizards in exchange for a future second-round pick. Essentially, the Pistons added two reliable veterans who can play and contribute right away for the price of no immediate asset.
Both of these trades are going to end up paying off for the Pistons' front office, especially since both veterans can help the team win right now and moving forward. Looking at Harris and the contributions he can bring, it is clear he will have a role out on the wing. Monty Williams has always had shooting depth on his teams and Harris has proven to be one of the best three-point shooting threats in the league when healthy. He ended up leading the league in three-point shooting percentage during the 2018-19 and 2020-21 seasons.
As for Morris, he brings stability and a sense of calmness with him to Detroit. Whereas Cunningham and Ivey are the flashy guards on this roster who can be unpredictable at times, Morris' production remains steady over the course of the entire season. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, the 28-year-old guard is more than capable of leading any rotation and his 4.8 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last two seasons is amongst the best in the league.
This ended up being a fantastic offseason for a team many are not paying attention to in this league right now. The Pistons parted ways with unreliable secondary options such as Cory Joseph, Hamidou Diallo, and R.J. Hampton in favor of proven veterans and their additions via the draft will pave the path for what the future of this franchise will look like.
Even though they are still one of the youngest teams in the league, the Pistons have a solid blend of veteran and youthful depth. With an experienced head coach who knows what it takes to win in this league and succeed in life, the Pistons are destined for immediate growth. This is no longer a team that will win below 30 games, especially with victories being right on the horizon.
Pistons' trade options: Bogdanovic, Harris, Morris
What will be interesting to watch over the course of the 2023-24 season regarding Detroit is what they decide to do with some of the veterans on their roster. As already mentioned, Joe Harris and Monte Morris were added this offseason, making them two of the three older voices in this locker room. Bojan Bogdanovic is the other.
Bogdanovic joined the Pistons in 2022 after spending the previous three seasons with the Utah Jazz. There, he was a prolific scoring option on the wing and helped Utah sit at the top of the Western Conference standings.
In one season with Detroit, Bogdanovic managed to average a career-high 21.6 points per game while shooting 48.8 percent from the floor and 41.1 percent from three-point range. As a result, numerous playoff contending teams have called about his availability, especially since the 34-year-old is making $20 million this upcoming season and has a $2 million partially-guaranteed clause on his deal for the 2024-25 season.
Once again, Bogdanovic is going to hear his name tied to trade rumors. Only this time, there will be actual momentum for a trade to possibly happen in the middle of the season. Before, the Pistons were hesitant to talk trades involving the veteran not only because they had just acquired him, but also since they lacked forward depth.
With Thompson and Harris expected to hold roles at the small forward position, as well as the fact that the Pistons are going to be using both Isaiah Stewart and Marvin Bagley III at the power forward spot, Bogdanovic has suddenly become a player the Pistons can afford to leverage for decent value. Now is the best time for this front office to move on from the veteran. Even if they are finding a lot of success during the first part of the year, it would be a little bit of a surprise to see Bogdanovic on this roster at the end of the season.
There are also question marks surrounding how long the team intends on keeping Harris and Morris. Both players will become unrestricted free agents next offseason and it would not be a surprise to see teams inquire about their availability ahead of the trade deadline. Whether or not the Pistons move Harris and/or Morris depends on two things.
The first is obviously Bogdanovic's status and future with the team, but the second revolves around the team's long-term core. Will Killian Hayes stick around in the final year of his rookie contract and what will the team do with veteran Alec Burks in the final year of his contract? The Pistons are in a unique situation because while they are very young and still growing, they have just eight players set to be under contract for the 2024-25 season.
Cunningham, Ivey, Sasser and Thompson represent the upside this roster possesses in the backcourt, as Stewart, Bagley and Jalen Duren are the future of the frontcourt. Other than these seven youthful talents, the Pistons will be open for business and they'll be searching for ways to continue adding potential. All three veterans in Bogdanovic, Morris and Harris may not be moved, but it should not come as a shock to see the organization move on from two of these names for more draft picks and possibly another young, established player.
2023-24 season outlook
Wins have not come easy for the Pistons in recent years. In fact, they have not won more than 23 games in a season over the last four years.
That is about to change during the 2023-24 season.
A new era has begun for this organization. They may no longer be the “Bad Boy Pistons,” but Detroit is in a position where long-term success is upon them. Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson are going to be a terrific one-two punch for many years to come, plus Jaden Ivey is electric with the ball in his hands in the open court.
There is also a lot to like about the Pistons' frontcourt. Not only will Jalen Duren and Marvin Bagley III look to control the paint, but James Wiseman is also still on this roster. Entering the final year of his rookie contract and having a full offseason to work with his new team, Wiseman could finally take that next step the Golden State Warriors were waiting for through the years.
The biggest thing that stands out about this team heading into the 2023-24 season is that they finally have a sense of direction. Troy Weaver and this front office have done a fantastic job of assembling young, dynamic talents and there is no better coach in this league to led their core than Monty Williams.
We saw what Williams was able to accomplish with Devin Booker and the Suns over the last few seasons, which is why we should believe in him to revitalize the Pistons. While still far off from being a real contender in the Eastern Conference, we should undoubtedly expect to see growth from this organization heading into the new season.
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