Pistons news: The abyss, injury games and tough questions

We’re back! The Detroit Pistons have lost 10 in a row, are the worst team in the NBA and the fanbase finds itself in an all-too-familiar position:

The Abyss.

We’re already (it’s still November) at the point in the season when even the most optimistic fans like myself start to question whether they will ever see the Pistons win another game.

Look what the Pistons have done to our poor Australian friend.

It was more of the same last night, egregious turnovers, a huge foul and free-throw disparity and a game Detroit never had a realistic chance of winning. If turnovers and fouls were positives, the Pistons would be one of the top teams in the NBA, as they lead the league in both by a mile.

The offense was stagnant and sloppy in the halfcourt, where everything looked difficult and led to 15 combined turnovers from Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and Jaden Ivey.

Thompson had some nice moments in transition but also threw the ball away on back-to-back lob attempts and committed some silly fouls that got him benched for most of the second half.

The Pistons were once again missing five players, but the Cavaliers were missing four, including Donovan Mitchell, who is averaging nearly 30 points per game.

We’ve talked a lot about the Pistons’ injuries this season, and there is no doubt they have played a role in this horrific start, but we rarely mention how often other teams sit their top players against the Pistons and still get a win.

New Orleans, Phoenix and Milwaukee were all missing star players and it didn’t matter. Most recently, Atlanta and Cleveland both sat their top scorers against the Pistons and got wins anyway. As it’s been for the last three seasons, Detroit is a rest night on the schedule for some of the top players, as their teams know they can win without them.

The Pistons were the first team eliminated from the in-season tournament (boy, that was fun!) and already have to ask some tough questions even though we are only 12 games into the season.

Tough questions for the Detroit Pistons that don’t have easy answers

Is Troy Weaver going to make it through this season?

Yes, the Detroit Pistons have had catastrophic injuries this season, but if the entire success on your team relies on Isaiah Livers and 34-year-old Bojan Bogdanovic staying healthy, maybe your roster just isn’t that good. It’s completely fair to ask what this team might look like if Weaver had used three offseason’s worth of cap space on actual players instead of salary dumps for second-round picks.

Weaver essentially spent $60 million in cap space and has Alec Burks, Monte Morris, Joe Harris and a bunch of second-round picks in 2026 to show for it. It’s hard to watch teams like Houston and Indiana, who used their cap space to acquire useful veterans and not wonder what Detroit might look like if they had done the same. Maybe these young guys would be learning to win games (as the young core is in Houston) or maybe even be competing for something meaningful, as the Pacers are in Indiana.

I have not been on the Fire Troy train this season, as there is some context that has to be taken into account, but it’s hard to watch this team’s lack of progress and not question the direction and approach. That eventually comes back to Weaver. I thought that he’d be given next summer to figure it out, but now I am not so sure.

Is there a way out of this hole?

This is where things can get bleak.

If you peruse the league for available stars or look at upcoming free agency, there is not a clear way to fix this roster. Detroit should have plenty of cap space and open roster spots again, but to spend on who exactly? OG Anunoby? (please) Pascal Siakam? (yikes). A big trade for an unhappy star on a bad team?

Even at full strength, it’s hard to envision this roster as a contender for anything other than a lottery pick, there are seven guys on expiring contracts, the core is still very young and there is no quick fix.

Tough questions for the Detroit Pistons that don’t have easy answers

Should Cade Cunningham play more off the ball?

The Pistons did have some success getting Cade the ball in better spots last night early on, though by the end they had resorted to him dribbling around a lot while the other guys stood around.

It’s worth exploring if Cunningham would have an easier time if he wasn’t constantly asked to do everything on offense. It’s time to start him with Ivey and let them play through their mistakes. Ivey bounced back last night after a tough start and had a very good second half. He was able to get to the rim at times and can be the guy who gets Cade some better looks.

Killian Hayes has been starting and playing more than Ivey because of his defense and the fact that he doesn’t turn the ball over much. But that’s partly because no one bothers to guard him, and there is really no reason to. Teams are happy to let him shoot from wherever he wants and it shows in the spacing.

That’s why it’s laughable that some fans are comparing Cade’s shooting percentages to Killian’s, as Cunningham is not only shooting way more, but doing it draped in four defenders while the majority of Hayes’ shots are wide open. Context does matter here.

Monty Williams has to do something to breathe some life into this offense, as right now they are the easiest team in the NBA to stop in the half-court and their best offensive play is Ausar Thompson getting a rebound and taking it all the way himself.

Is Monty Williams going to make it?

Welcome to being the coach of the Detroit Pistons! Man, a few times last night I’m sure I saw a look flash across Monty’s face that screamed, “what have I done?!?” I think Williams has done a very good job in some areas and the overall vibe around the team is good. I am not an any way suggesting Williams should be fired or anything like that, but I am more concerned he’ll tap out himself.

This is a guy who was lured out of retirement with a massive contract that was too big for any logical person to turn down. I’m not a body language expert or anything, but last night was the first time it looked like Monty was questioning whether all that money was worth it.

I do think he’s the coach to turn this around, but I also fear for the man’s health.

Your Detroit Pistons everyone!