After the Detroit Pistons’ 14-68 previous season, making history for the 12th worst record of all time, they have shown significant growth and progress this year. Several off-season decisions, such as hiring Trajan Langdon as President of Basketball Operations and bringing in former Cleveland Cavaliers Coach J.B. Bickerstaff, have propelled this team to compete at a high level this year. The Detroit Pistons have secured the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference for the upcoming NBA playoffs. 

The key off-season acquisitions of like-signing guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and star shooter Malik Beasley have given this team just what it needs. Mid-season, Langdon (President of Basketball Operations) picked up veteran guard Dennis Schroeder. Langdon smartly brought in 3 veteran guards with high experience to mesh with the Pistons’ young stars in Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, and Ausar Tompson. In just his fourth season, Cunningham averaged 26.1 points per game (7th in the NBA) and 9.1 assists (4th overall). And it wasn’t just offense, the Pistons also finished the season ranked 9th in defensive efficiency, showing growth on both ends of the court.

The Pistons finished the regular season with an impressive 44-38 record, marking the seventh-largest single-season turnaround in NBA history. While players tend to get the most credit for this, Coach J.B. Bickerstaff deserves tremendous credit for bringing winning back to Detroit. Despite leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference semifinals last year, Bickerstaff was fired. 

J.B. Bickerstaff has his players’ backs and has shown frustration towards the officiating staff throughout the season. After a 107-113 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder this year, Bickerstaff was verbally disgusted with the refs, saying, “We deserve a level of respect because we’re competing our tails off and bringing something positive to this league.” Bickerstaff continued. “Right? We’re growing young players. Our young players are competing their tails off. The least that they could do is get the same respect that everybody else in this league gets and get refereed the same way that everybody else in this league gets! And enough is enough of it! And what you saw tonight was disgusting. It was a disgusting display of disrespect towards our guys and what we’re trying to do.” His rant showed how much he believes in his team and how fed up he is with what he sees as unfair calls against them.

Now, the Pistons face the 51–31 New York Knicks, who earned the 3rd seed in the East. Detroit is 3–1 against the Knicks this season, including a 115–106 win less than a week ago. Slowing down crafty guard Jalen Brunson and sniper Karl-Anthony Towns will be a challenge. The Knicks are deep and determined to flip the script.

No matter the outcome, the Pistons’ future is bright. With young stud Jaden Ivey returning from injury next season and other young stars developing, the team’s potential is sky-high. After this historic turnaround, Detroit basketball is officially back.