Pistons chasing history that could become the new NBA norm

In just two seasons, the Detroit Pistons have gone from the worst team in the league to title contender and are trying to do something that no team ever has. 

No team in NBA history has won a title within two years of being the worst team in the league, though there were a few that came close, the 2008 Celtics immediately come to mind. 

Boston had a huge turnaround within a year but weren’t the worst team in the league, and they had to add three future Hall of Famers to do it. 

The Pistons are unprecedented, as their monumental turnaround has come mostly with the same team with a few important tweaks. 

The NBA has crowned a different champion in each of the last seven seasons, finally realizing the parity they long wanted, making the NBA more like the NFL, where you never know which team is going to emerge from year to year, and teams have a chance to turn it around quickly.

But with OKC winning the title last season as one of the NBA’s youngest teams, we could be seeing a new precedent emerging in the NBA. 

Winning with young players is a competitive advantage for the Pistons 

Because star players are constantly changing teams and franchises are looking for new and creative ways to dodge the ever-punitive luxury taxes, it’s now more difficult to build a sustainably good team. 

Even if you are like the Pistons, winning with young players still on rookie deals, eventually those deals end and the roster gets far more expensive, making it more difficult to build the kind of deep roster the Pistons enjoy. 

That’s why it’s crucial to not only find a superstar and start winning while he is still relatively cheap, but to fill out the roster with young players who can actually contribute, as their position on the cap sheet is nearly as important to team building as their spot in the rotation. 

It’s similar to the NFL, where teams need to hit on a star QB and win with him before he’s eating up a huge chunk of the payroll as the team’s highest paid player. 

It allows teams to make investments elsewhere and provides a competitive advantage over teams whose best players are already making a ton of money. 

Detroit may not win the title this season, but they are still set up for sustainable success, as only two of their young players (Cunningham and Duren) will be on big deals next season.

But the window won’t stay open long with the aprons looming, so the Pistons will have to continue to find undervalued talent like Daniss Jenkins, Javonte Green and Paul Reed to supplement the players at the top of the payroll. 

The Pistons can make history if they win a title this season, but it may become the norm for bad teams to get good quickly as they do in the NFL. 

Bad teams around the NBA have to be looking at the Pistons as a model for how things can go right if you draft well, develop talent and surround them with the right veterans.

The Pistons (along with OKC, HOU and others) are setting a new precedent that winning with young players is not only possible, but actually gives you a payroll advantage.