Detroit has always been a football city, no matter how good or bad the Lions happen to be playing. But the Pistons were one of the most successful teams in the NBA during two different eras, winning a championship in the late 80s and then again in the mid-2000s. But tough times have fallen on the once proud franchise, and they once again find themselves in the basement of the current NBA standings.
At 2-11, The Detroit Pistons Are At The Bottom Of The NBA Standings
The Detroit Pistons have now lost 10 games in a row.
The last time they lost 10 games consectutivley was in March of 2015.
I did not think I would be writing this in Year 4 of the ‘Restoration’.
— Jack Kelly (@jack_kelly_313) November 18, 2023
There were mild expectations coming into the season, or at least some hope for noticeable improvement. The projected starting line up was full of former first round picks, and was headed by Cade Cunningham, who the Pistons made the first overall pick in the 2021 Draft. And while the 6 foot, 6 inch Cunningham is averaging a career high 21.1 points so far through 13 games, he hasn’t looked like the elite prospect that he was billed to be.
While he has seen some improvement on his three-point shot, Cunningham is still shooting 29.6% from deep. He has shown to be extremely careless with the basketball, leading the NBA in turnovers with 11 more than the player with the next highest total (Luka Dončić at 53).
Stacked With Young Talent, But Unable To Put The Pieces Together
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) November 18, 2023
It isn’t just Cunningham. The Pistons as a team turn the ball over more than anyone else, they foul the most, and score the 5th-fewest points of any team in the NBA. Their 3-point percentage ranks 18th overall.
It isn’t as though they are devoid of talent. 4 of the 5 listed starters were selected within the top-10 in their respective drafts, and they have Marvin Bagley and James Wiseman on their squad as well, both of whom were former 2nd overall picks who failed to pan out with their original teams.
Unless the Pistons have some kind of miracle turn around, this will be yet another season to add to the growing futility of the franchise. They have finished in the bottom 5 of the Eastern Conference in every season since 2009-10 except for two, when they qualified for the playoffs as the 8th seed. They failed to win a single game in either of those series, meaning that the Pistons haven’t won a playoff game since 2008.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
